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Silver needle noodles

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Silver needle noodles
Alternative namesRat noodle
TypeChinese noodles
Place of originChina, Meizhou
Main ingredientsRice flour
Silver needle noodles
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese銀針粉
Simplified Chinese银针粉
Literal meaningsilver needle noodle
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyinyínzhēnfěn
Yue: Cantonese
Jyutpingngan4 zam1 fan2
Alternative Chinese name
Chinese老鼠粉
Literal meaningrat noodle
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyinlǎoshǔfěn
Yue: Cantonese
Jyutpinglou5 syu2 fan2
Second alternative Chinese name
Traditional Chinese米篩目
Simplified Chinese米筛目
Literal meaningrice sieve eyes
Transcriptions
Southern Min
Hokkien POJbí-thai-ba̍k
Vietnamese name
Vietnamese alphabetbánh lọt mặn
Thai name
Thaiเกี้ยมอี๋
RTGSkiam-i
Khmer name
Khmerលត

Silver needle noodle (simplified Chinese: 银针粉; traditional Chinese: 銀針粉; pinyin: yín zhēn fěn), rat noodle (老鼠粉; lǎo shǔ fěn), bee tai bak (simplified Chinese: 米筛目; traditional Chinese: 米篩目; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: bí-thai-ba̍k), runny nose vermicelli (Chinese: 鼻涕嘜; Jyutping: bei6 tai3 mak1) or lot (Khmer: លត), giam ee (เกี้ยมอี๋) is a variety of Chinese noodle.[1] The noodles are short, about 5 cm long and 5 mm in diameter, and white semi-transparent in colour. The noodles are available in many Chinese markets in Chinese populated areas such as Hong Kong, Taiwan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore.

Names

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Quite a number of names have been used to describe the noodle. The noodle is more commonly known as silver needle noodle in Hong Kong and Taiwan, and rat noodle or "runny nose vermicelli"[2] in Malaysia and Singapore. They are sometimes also called as pin noodles.[3] The noodles are named as such because the shape of the noodles is long and tapered much like a rat's tail, translucent white like needles, or from the way the noodles are made by pushing them through the holes of a sieve.

  • Yin Zhen Fen, Ngan Jam Fan (銀針粉/银针粉)
  • Lao Shu Fen, Lou Syu Fan, Lao Cu Pan, Loh See Fun (老鼠粉)
  • Bei Tai Mak (鼻涕嘜) (Cantonese)
  • Bí-thai-ba̍k (米苔目/米台目/米篩目/米筛目) (Min Nan)
  • Mi Shai Mu (米篩目/米筛目) (Hakka)
  • Kiam I/Giam Ee (Thai)[4]
  • Short Rice Noodle
  • Rice drop noodle

Production

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The noodles are made from a mixture of ground rice flour from glutinous or non-glutinous rice and water, but sometimes combined with cornstarch to reduce breakage during cooking.[1] The noodles are hand shaped and rolled into the iconic needle profile, then steamed. Shaping the noodles is an acquired skill that even the most skilled chefs do not possess.The noodles are made beforehand and then further prepared before serving. The noodles are only available fresh and they are made by noodle vendors or commercially produced and seldom homemade as it is too tedious to make a small amount for home consumption.

Preparation

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Fried Lao Shu Fen / Fried Yin Zhen Fen / Fried Short Rice Noodles

The noodles may be stir-fried, scalded and flavored with a mixture of sauces, cooked in soup or cooked dry in a clay-pot. As with most Chinese noodles, it can be served for breakfast, lunch or dinner as a main course or supplementing a rice meal. Many Chinese restaurants, hawkers and roadside stalls serve the noodle in various forms. One of the famous dishes that can be found widely in Southeast Asia is Clay-Pot Lao Shu Fen.[5] The purpose of using clay-pot is to keep warmth of the dish.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Amy Chen. Short Rice Noodles / Lao Shu Fen 老鼠粉 - MaMaChineseCooking.com or លត lot in Khmer . Accessed January 12, 2007.
  2. ^ "FairPrice Bee Tai Mak | NTUC FairPrice". FairPrice. Retrieved 2024-07-27.
  3. ^ "pin rice noodles".
  4. ^ "All About Noodles, Sen Guay Tiew – Thai Noodles for the Beginner Episode I". Giam Ee noodles, the rice pin noodles, are rice noodles that have a diameter about 1/4", round, are short, about 2" long, with pointed tips on both ends.
  5. ^ "seasiafood.com". www.seasiafood.com.