Nyob Zoo All!
Here’s to another updated written recipe and video of how to make fresh rice vermicelli. Rice vermicelli is an amazing noodle to use in a lot of Southeast Asian cuisines. It’s gluten free and texturally so fun to eat. They usually come dried with different thickness. It’s cooked in boiling water and then ready to serve. Today, I’ll be showing you the fresh pressed version. In the Hmong Leeg dialect, we like to call this Qhaub Poob Tsu which basically means pressed vermicelli noodles. Since these noodles are fresh, they are a lot more tender compared to the dried version ones. So it’s best to eat them the day they’re made since they will get soft as they sit. The noodles are also best for cold dishes like spring rolls or a salad in general. It will work as a noodles soup with hot broth poured over, but the noodles will have a more slightly softer texture. It’s quite fun and satisfying to make so I hope you can give this a go. Happy cooking!
Main ingredients
Rice flour: Rice vermicelli is usually made with just rice and water. It’s usually extracted into noodle and dried. Dried rice vermicelli are then cooked in boiling water until tender to your liking. So they are more of a chew to it depending on how long you cook it. Since we’re making these noodles fresh, adding tapioca starch will give it that chew and elasticity. 
Xanthan Gum: Why use xanthan gum? Xanthan gum is a food additive commonly used to give gluten free recipes elasticity, good binding, and stability. Since this noodle is gluten free, it can have the tendency to break easily as it cooks. Adding a little xanthan gum will help elongated the noodles and give some chew to it as well. Xanthan gum can easily be bought at any grocery store at the baking section.
Two part process in making these noodles:
Part 1: Measure the dry ingredients into a bowl 
Part 2: Make a rice flour roux
This rice flour roux is basically the wet component that will go into the dry.
Allow the rice roux to cool a bit before adding it into the dry mixture. If you add the roux right off the stove while it’s boiling hot, it will cause the dough to cook and create a thick batter. This will make it harder to extract the noodles.
Mixing: I like to mix the batter in my KitchenAid mixer with the whisk attachment for about 3 minutes on medium level speed until I get a nice smooth batter. You can also use a hand mixer to mix the dough if you don’t have a KitchenAid mixer.
If you’re not using the dough anytime soon, keep it covered so it doesn’t dry out.
Noodle press:
The one on the left is a Thai/Lao style noodle press that my mom found at the Hmong New Year in California. We were lucky enough to find one. This version may be hard to get unless you know someone that sells it or if you live near a Lao, Vietnamese, Thai, and or Hmong store that hopefully have it in stock. You can also search online by typing in “rice noodle mold” or ‘rice noodle press”. If you can’t find one, I suggest getting a potato ricer (shown on the right) which will work just fine too. 
This press has holes on the bottom to extract the noodles into strands
Fill the press about 3/4 full
Press evenly over hot slowly simmered water 
Don’t touch the noodles until they float to the top
Once they float to the top, use a chopstick to gently separate them so they don’t stick to each other. Cook for about 1-2 minutes only. Floating noodles usually means they’re cooked.
Use a spider to gently remove the noodles and place it into cold water. 
Rinse in cold water for about 2 times before individually portioning it into a colander
Allow any access water to drain and enjoy the noodles however you like! It’s great in noodles soups (although the noodles will get quite soft as it sits with the hot broth), great in a salad, and or spring rolls.
QUESTIONS:
Can the cooked noodle be put into the fridge if I can’t finish it? Yes! This noodle actually didn’t harden when I put it in the fridge for a night compared to the dried then cooked vermicelli. I covered it in plastic wrap and then placed it in the fridge and it still was pretty tender since this noodle is fresh. If you want to soften it a bit, just microwave it for a bit. But I highly suggest enjoying this noodle the day they’re made for the best quality and texture. The longer the noodles sits, the more they can get too soft and also break.
Where can I buy the noodles press?: Look online and or check you local Thai/Lao/Hmong/Vietnamese store to see if they have it in stock. Use a potato ricer as a substitute and attach the smaller hole attachment for skinner noodles. Potato ricer can easily be found online as well.
Can I make this noodle without the xanthan gum? Yes, however the noodles will break a lot more without the xanthan gum. Once the batter gets extracted into the hot water, they can break and create much shorter noodles. I also notice as the noodles sits when they’re cooked, they also become a lot softer and stickier. Again, xanthan gum gives it stability and elasticity.
Where can I buy xanthan gum? Xanthan gum is available at almost any of your local grocery store. It’s usually located at the baking aisle. You can also order it online.
Can I make the batter a day ahead and use it the next day? I haven’t tried personally. If it’s covered will, it will not dry out and you can probably try it out. But you can’t refrigerate it since the dough will get hard. So the answer would be no, I wouldn’t suggest it.
Happy cooking!
-Cindy Her (C.HerCreations)
Fresh Rice Vermicelli
Equipment
- Rice Noodle Press or Potato Ricer
- Food digital scale
Ingredients
For the rice roux
- 113 grams rice flour (1 cup)
- 3 1/2 cups water (828ml)
- 5 grams vegetable oil (1 tsp)
- 8 grams salt (1 tsp)
For the dry mixture
- 227 grams rice flour (~2 cups)
- 227 grams tapioca starch (~2 cups)
- 8 grams xanthan gum (2 tsp)
Instructions
For the rice roux
- In a stainless steel pot, add in all the ingredients for the rice roux. Whisk well and cook this on medium heat until it bubbles. Whisk while cooking so the bottom of the pan doesn't burn. Once it has bubble, continue whisking for 30 secs and then remove it from the heat. Allow this to cool for at least 30 minutes at room temp (stirring occasionally to cool/release steam) before adding it to the dry mixture. If you pour this hot roux in immediately to the dry ingredients, it will cook the starches and create a thick batter (which will be harder to press) so just let the roux sit (uncovered) on the counter for 30 minutes to chill before adding it in. Just make sure to come once in a while to stir it. We just don't want to work with a extremely boiling off the heat roux.
For the dry mixture
- In a KitchenAid mixing bowl or a good size stainless steel bowl, add in the rice flour, tapioca starch, and xanthan gum. Mix well and add in the rice roux.
- Place it in the KitchenAid mixer with a whisk attachment and turn on to level 1 and mix for about 30 secs. Gradually bump up the speed to mix the batter until it has become completely smooth. I mixed it for about 3 minutes. You can also use a hand mixer if you don't have a KitchenAid mixer. Once it's well mix, finish with a spatula to make sure the dough is all evenly mixed. Cover with plastic wrap touching the dough so it doesn't dry out if you're not going to use it right away.
Cooking the noodles
- In a big wide pot, add in water about 2/3 to 3/4 full. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium low. You don't want the water to be boiling while pressing the noodles in because the bubbles can break the noodles. Just keep it on a good gentle simmer. Place the rice batter into a noodles press or a potato ricer about 3/4 full. Swirl the water in the pot with a chopstick and then firmly press the batter into the water. Turn the heat up to high and gently separate the noodles with a chopstick when it floats to the top and just let it cook for about 1 minute. The noodles floating to the top means they're pretty much cooked. Remove the noodles with a spider and place into a bowl of cold water. Rinse well with cold water gently (at least 2x) and with your fingers, individually portion the noodles and place it into a colander to drain out any excess water.
- Repeat until all the batter is used up. Just make sure the batter is always covered in plastic wrap so it doesn't dry out.
- Allow the noodles to drain well and then you're ready to enjoy. I like to eat them the day they're made. It's textually better since it still has a good chew to it. If you have leftover, cover well with plastic wrap and place in the fridge if needed. I left my leftover in the fridge overnight and it still stayed pretty tender (although it can harden the longer it sits). Rewarm in the microwave if needed to loosen them. HOWEVER, the noodles will get too soft or break apart the more it sits. So best to use the day they're made.
