Rice noodles (organic?)

Rice noodles are flat-shaped rice noodles. They are traditionally eaten in soup or fried together with vegetables and tofu as a wok dish.

Use in the kitchen

What are rice noodles? Rice noodles are made from rice flour and water. Rice noodles are the flat-shaped variety. They can be bought dried in portion balls or in stretched form. Their health value is comparable to that of pasta made from white wheat flour. One positive difference is that they are gluten-free, if this is clearly declared. Rice noodles take much less time to cook than pasta made from wheat semolina.

How do you prepare rice noodles? The flat, wide noodles can be soaked in hot water for 8 to 10 minutes and then used for a stir-fry (wok dish). It is important that you briefly rinse the noodles in cold water after cooking. If you are not using them straight away, it is advisable to either cover the noodles with plastic wrap or leave them in cold water so that they do not stick together or dry out. Alternatively, you can boil them in water for around 3 to 4 minutes, or until they are soft enough. This method of preparation is particularly suitable if you want to use the rice noodles cold for salads or wraps. Rinsing the noodles after soaking or cooking stops the cooking process. This is especially important if you do not want to eat the noodles straight away but want to use them for a wok dish. Reheating them means that the rice noodles finish cooking.

Rice noodles are particularly popular in East Asian cuisine. They are popular in the Vietnamese soup Pho or in the Malaysian Laksa curry soup. They are also often eaten fried, for example in the Thai Pad Thai (you can find a raw food version here Raw Pad Thai). The fried rice noodles are also often added to wok dishes together with vegetables and tofu or tempeh.

Homemade

rice noodles are easy to make yourself. You need 100 g of rice flour per portion/person. It is important to use normal rice flour, not glutinous rice flour. Mix the rice well in a bowl with 90 g of hot water (60 g boiling and 30 g lukewarm water). Then slowly stir 120 g of boiling water into the mixture. The dough has the consistency of milk. ³

The noodles are steamed in a flat insert either in a steamer or by placing a thin casserole dish on a rack in a wok. Fill the water up to just below the rack and bring to the boil. In the meantime, rub the insert (casserole dish) with a little oil. Pour the pasta dough into the dish to a height of approx. 3 mm. Close the lid and steam for around 4 minutes or until bubbles form in the dough. Allow the steamed dough to cool for 2 to 3 minutes and then carefully place it on a cutting board. Use a knife to cut the dough into noodles approx. 1 cm wide. Soak the noodles in cold water and use them the same day. Alternatively, you can coat the dough with oil before cutting so that you can store the noodles in a closed bowl in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. ³

Vegan recipe for rice noodles with vegetables and tofu

Ingredients (for 4 people): 250 g rice noodles, 2 tbsp rapeseed oil, 2 cloves of garlic, 200 gbroccoli florets (broccoli florets), 1 red bell pepper, 2 tbsp water, 200 g tofu, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp chili sauce (alternatively chili flakes), 2 tbsp black sesame seeds.

Preparation: Boil water in a pot, turn off the heat and put the rice noodles in the hot water for 8 to 10 minutes. Let them soak until they are soft. Rinse with cold water and place in a bowl of cold water so that they do not stick together. Meanwhile, chop the garlic cloves and wash and chop the vegetables, also cutting the tofu into small cubes. Heat oil in a wok or pan, add the chopped garlic and the vegetables and fry briefly. Add water, cover the pan and let everything simmer for about 5 minutes. The vegetables should still be crunchy. Add the tofu, soy sauce, chili sauce (or chili flakes) and the soft rice noodles to the pan and stir until everything is evenly hot. Serve on plates and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Vegan recipes with rice noodles can be found under the note: " Recipes that have the most of this ingredient ".

Purchasing - Storage

Rice noodles can usually be found in the range of large supermarket chains such as Coop, Migros, Denner, Volg, Spar, Aldi, Lidl, Billa, Rewe, Edeka or Hofer, occasionally also in controlled organic quality (organic quality). However, some discounters only stock them during special promotions. Rice noodles can also often be bought in organic supermarkets such as Denn's Biomarkt or Alnatura, as well as in Asian shops.

When producing rice noodles, they are heated several times, which is why they are no longer considered raw food (more on this under Industrial Production).

The availability of rice noodles in the supermarkets mentioned varies depending on the size of the store, catchment area, etc. If you are interested, click on our recorded food prices for the DA-CH countries (above under the ingredient image). There you will find current prices from various supermarkets and their price development.

Storage tips

Dried rice noodles can be stored like pasta made from other grains. They should be stored in the original packaging or in a closed container in a cool, dry and dark place. This way they will last for around a year or until the best-before date. ²

Ingredients - Nutritional values - Calories

The nutritional values of flat rice noodles correspond to those of rice noodles. The two only differ in their shape, not in their composition.

Dried rice noodles (organic) contain 364 kcal per 100 g. With 0.56 g fat and 1.6 g dietary fiber per 100 g, rice noodles are low in fat and fiber. Rice noodles contain carbohydrates (80g/100g) and little protein (6.0 g/100g). The salt content is 462 mg/100g. This corresponds to 19.3% of the daily salt allowance. ¹ calorie compared to cooked pasta: ribbon noodles 142 kcal, durum wheat noodles 156 kcal, soy noodles 155 kcal, spaetzle 164 kcal, tagliatelle 159 kcal. In raw form, this is practically always several times more calories. One kcal corresponds to 4,184 kJ.

Like the white long-grain rice from which the noodles are made, rice noodles contain selenium and manganese, some important amino acids. However, the ingredients are drastically reduced during cooking, so that cooked rice noodles contain very little nutritional value.

The selenium content of 15 µg/100g covers around 27.0% of the daily requirement. However, it varies greatly depending on the growing area of the long-grain rice from which the rice noodles are made. Wholegrain corn flour (15 µg/100g) and amaranth (19 µg/100g) have similar selenium contents. Brazil nuts (Bolivia) contain a lot of selenium. 2 nuts cover the daily requirement of selenium. ¹

Per 100 g, there is 0.50 mg of manganese, which corresponds to 25.0% of the daily requirement. Cooked lentils (0.49 mg/100g) and sprouted lentils (0.51 mg/100g) have similar values. Teff (dwarf millet) contains a lot of manganese, which, with its 0.9 mg per 100 g, covers around 462.0% of the daily requirement. ¹

Although the protein content of rice noodles is low, they still contain valuable amino acids. 100 g of rice noodles contain 0.07 g of tryptophan, which corresponds to 29.0% of the daily requirement. Cooked lentils and cooked chickpeas contain a similar amount of tryptophan, both of which contain 0.8 g/100. The essential amino acid threonine is also present in abundance. With 0.21 g per 100g, it covers 23.0% of the daily requirement. Peas (0.21 g/100g) and carrots (0.19 g/100g) have a similar content. ¹

The complete ingredients of rice noodles, the coverage of the daily requirement and comparison values with other ingredients can be found in our nutrient tables. In the article Nutrients explained you will get a detailed insight into the topic.

Effects on health

Are rice noodles healthy? Rice noodles are a good gluten-free alternative to pasta for people with gluten intolerance (celiac disease). Look for the gluten-free symbol, which only licensed products are allowed to carry, as contamination can occur during processing because the same machines are used for grain processing. Other gluten-free grains are corn, millet, buckwheat, amaranth or quinoa. ⁶

Dangers - Intolerances - Side effects

Rice and rice products can contain increased levels of the toxic semi-metal arsenic. The plant absorbs this from the soil and water and stores it in the grains. The arsenic content in rice varies depending on the rice-growing region, as it depends on the arsenic content in the soil and water. Rice from wet rice cultivation usually has higher levels, as flooding of the soil releases the arsenic more easily. ⁶

Since 2015, there has been an EU regulation that sets maximum levels of arsenic in rice and rice products. ⁴ High levels can also be found in some rice products such as rice flakes and rice noodles. Young children absorb arsenic even more easily than adults, which is why it is recommended that children under 3 years of age are not fed primarily rice and rice products. ^5,6

Ecological footprint - animal welfare

Rice noodles are usually made from the flour of white long-grain rice. ¹³ Rice is one of the world's most important crops, as it is the staple food for almost half of the world's population. ⁷

However, traditional wet rice cultivation has a poor ecological footprint. It leads to increased greenhouse gas emissions and uses a lot of water. In wet rice cultivation, the rice fields are regularly flooded. This leads to an increase in bacteria that decompose the organic material in the soil (plant residues) and thus produce methane. This is around 25 times more harmful to the climate than carbon dioxide (CO ₂). ⁹ Greenhouse gas emissions are expressed in kilograms of CO₂ equivalents. Rice has a CO₂ equivalent of between 3.1 CO ₂ e ¹⁰ and 6.2 CO ₂ e ^11. If artificial irrigation systems are used, water consumption is very high and can be 2000 to 5000 l of water per 1 kg of rice. ¹² In addition, flooding the soil releases the toxic semi-metal arsenic, which the plants absorb and store in the rice grains. ⁶

Compared to wet rice cultivation, dry rice cultivation is less harmful to the environment and climate due to lower water consumption and lower methane production. ⁸

Worldwide occurrence - cultivation

Rice noodles originate from China and have been documented since the Qin Dynasty (259-210 BC). They are particularly popular in southern China and Southeast Asia and are a component of many traditional dishes. ¹³

Industrial production

Dried rice noodles are industrially prepared products that mostly consist of 80-90% rice flour and water. They sometimes also contain tapioca flour or corn starch to make them appear more transparent and improve the consistency.

For the industrial production of rice noodles, the raw rice is soaked in water for several hours after it has been thoroughly cleaned. After the rice has absorbed enough water, it is ground until it has a porridge-like consistency. The rice porridge is then heated and formed into thin noodles ( 'spaghettini') either by pressing (extruding) it or by cutting flat rice sheets ('rice ribbon noodles'). The noodles are heated again, then cooled and left to dry before being packaged. ¹³

Further information

Rice noodles are made from rice flour, mainly from long grain rice ( Oryza sativa ssp. indica) ¹³, and water. There are three main types of rice noodles: noodles cut from rice paper ('rice ribbon noodles'), noodles pressed through a mold with holes ( 'spaghettini') and rice paper for wraps. Each type can be bought fresh or dried. ¹³

The Asian rice noodles should not be confused with the Greek Kritharáki or the Italian Orzo, Manestra or Risoni. These are small noodles in the shape of grains or rice, which is why they are also called 'rice noodles'. However, they are not made from rice, but from durum wheat semolina and barley.

Alternative names:

Ribbon rice noodles are often referred to simply as rice noodles. In English they are called rice noodles or rice vermicelli. The latter name is often used for the thin version.