Rice Vermicelli — Mi Fen (米粉)
What it is
Thin, round, opaque-white dried noodles made from rice, gluten-free and brittle when dry, soft and slippery when cooked. The pan-Asian "rice stick" / "rice vermicelli."
How it's made
Rice is soaked and ground to a slurry or paste, steamed/gelatinized, extruded into fine strands, and dried. Pure rice (sometimes with a little corn or tapioca starch); no wheat, no egg.
Flavor profile
Mild and faintly sweet, a neutral carrier. Texture is light, soft, and slippery, prone to clumping if overcooked; it absorbs broth and sauce readily.
Culinary uses
Soaked then stir-fried (Singapore noodles, Xiamen chao mi fen) or served in soups. Cooks fast and light. Defines dishes from Guilin mifen (soup) to countless stir-fries; the diaspora "rice stick" of choice.
Regional variations
- Guilin rice noodles (Guangxi) — served with a savory braised-pork "marinated" topping.
- Jiangxi/Nanchang mifen — stir-fried, often spicy.
- Xinzhu (Hsinchu, Taiwan) — famous wind-dried rice vermicelli.
- Overlaps with Southeast Asian bee hoon / bihon / sen mee.
Cultural & historical context
Rice noodles are the southern Chinese counterweight to the wheat noodles of the north — a product of the Yangtze-and-south rice economy. Mi fen spread with southern Chinese migration throughout Southeast Asia, seeding the region's vast rice-noodle traditions.
Reference notes
- Tags: chinese, southern-chinese, rice, rice-noodle, gluten-free, thin-noodle, stir-fry-noodle
- Base: rice flour
- Related ingredients: curry powder (Singapore noodles), char siu, bean sprouts
- Related cuisines: Chinese (southern), Southeast Asian
- Suggested Cuisinopedia links: → Bee Hoon / Bihon (SE Asian equivalents), → He Fen (wide rice noodle), → Bún (Vietnamese round rice vermicelli)
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