Rice vermicelli are a thin form of rice noodles.[1] They are sometimes referred to as rice noodles, rice sticks,[citation needed] or bee hoon but they should not be confused with cellophane noodles, which is an Asian type of vermicelli not made from rice.
Presentation and varieties
Rice vermicelli are a part of several Asian cuisines, where they are often eaten as part of a soup dish, stir fry, or salad.
One particularly well known, slightly thicker variety, called Guilin mǐfěn (桂林米粉), comes from the southern Chinese city of Guilin, where it is a breakfast staple.
Notable dishes
Rice vermicelli has a white color when cooked. It is generally much shorter than Chinese vermicelli.
In Fujian and Teochew cuisine, rice vermicelli is a commonly used noodle and is served either in soup, stir-fried and dressed with a sauce, or even 'dry' (without soup) with added ingredients and condiments.
Hong Kong
Singapore style noodles (星州炒米, Xīng zhōu cháo mǐ) is a dish of fried rice vermicelli common in Hong Kong Cantonese-style eateries,[2] inspired by the spicy cuisines of Southeast Asia.[3] This dish is made from rice vermicelli, char siu, egg, shrimp and curry.
India and Pakistan
Sawaeyaa is a famous dish made from vermicelli cooked in milk sugar and dry nuts. It is eaten on Diwali, Eid, and other happy occasions in parts of India and Bangladesh.
Paayasam is a famous South Indian sweet dish made from vermicelli, sago, sugar, spices and nuts and milk.
Santhakai is a staple South Indian breakfast dish.
In Malaysia, the rice vermicelli can be called and founded as Mihun, Mi hoon, Mee Hoon, Bihun, or Bee Hoon.
Bihun Sup is a Malay style dish, mixed with spiced beef broth or chicken broth. Sometimes it came with sambal kicap (pounded bird's eye chilli mixed with dark soy sauce) as condiment.
Bihun Kari mixed with curry, added with mung bean sprout, fried tofu and red chillies sambal.
Bihun soto is in a yellow spicy chicken broth, served with chicken and potato cutlet.
Hokkien mee throughout Malaysia varies considerably due to regional differences.
Laksa Sarawak is mixed with a base of sambal belacan, sour tamarind, garlic, galangal, lemon grass and coconut milk, topped with omelette strips, chicken strips, prawns, fresh coriander and optionally lime. Ingredients such as bean sprouts, (sliced) fried tofu or other seafood are not traditional but are sometimes added.
Mi Siam is a stir-fried style dish.
Singapore
Kerabu bee hoon is a Nyonya-style rice vermicelli dish, mixed with herbs and other seasonings.
Hokkien mee, commonly in Singapore, consists of rice vermicelli mixed with yellow noodles and fried with shrimp, sliced cuttlefish and pork bits. Hokkien mee throughout Malaysia varies considerably due to regional differences.
Satay bee hoon is rice vermicelli served with spicy peanut satay sauce, common in Singapore.
Myanmar
Mohinga, in Myanmar, is rice vermicelli served with curry gravy and fish.
Mont Di is rice vermicelli served with clear fish soup or as salad with fish flakes.
Taiwanese fried rice vermicelli is the dry, stir-fried local style (particularly known in the Hsinchu region). Its main ingredients include sliced pork, dried shrimp, and carrots.
A Hsinchu specialty is to serve rice vermicelli 'dry' 乾 (gan, not in a soup) with mushroom and ground pork.
Bún riêu is rice vermicelli in soup with crab meat.
Bún bò Huế is rice vermicelli in soup with beef from Huế.
Bún thịt nướng is a Vietnamese dish consisting of grilled pork (often shredded) and vermicelli noodles over a bed of greens (salad and sliced cucumber), herbs and bean sprouts. Also, it often includes a few chopped egg rolls, spring onions, and shrimp. It is commonly served with roasted peanuts on top and a small bowl of nước chấm.
