Most people think of panfried noodle pancakes as being wheat-based but you can make them from rice noodles too. You just need to choose and cook wisely. I’m sharing my tips gathered over the decades of eating in Vietnam and abroad and cooking in my kitchen.
The aim here is to create a crispy bed for a luscious stir-fry. The noodles are gluten-free and you can make a gluten-free stir-fry if you like too. But what’s important is getting the noodles beautifully crispy with some tender chew remaining. You’ll end up with something like this one.
Choosing noodles to panfry
After using fresh noodles as well as dried ones, I stick with the latter kind. Go dried! You can keep the noodles in your pantry for years, it seems. Suggested brands include: Three Ladies, A Taste of Thai and Three Bamboo with are sold at Chinese, Vietnamese and pan Asian markets like H Mart. They’re also sold online too.
Whatever you buy, go big with the size! They will be labeled as “XL”, “wide” or even indicate that they are “10mm” (1cm, ⅜ inch). One package is plenty but stock up because you’ll want to panfry rice noodles often. It’s very easy once you get the hang of it.
Secrets for crispy rice noodle pancakes
They’re not much of secrets because I’m telling you what I do. It’s simple: Boil then coat the noodles with a mixture of cornstarch, salt, oil, and a little sugar or agave syrup. Agave yields better color because it dissolves and distributes easily. Use the sweetener if you have it handy. A little water is used to hydrate the ingredients.
What if you don’t use any of those ingredients? The rice noodles will not fry up crispy and will not brown well. I’ve tried it many ways and using those four pantry ingredients in a slurry works.
Panfried Noodle Pancake Video Tips
As extra encouragement, here’s a video loaded with me in action in the kitchen and at the stove. I’d love for you to become a rice noodle pancake pro.
What about panfrying wheat noodles?
Of course. I’ve got you covered. Stick with the classic with this video tutorial and recipe for panfried noodle pancake. The wheat noodles impart a certain nuttiness to the pancake. However, the wide rice noodles make for a wonderful flat bed for your stir-fried creation.
What about the topping?
You have many options but whatever you prepare, it needs to be extra saucy. The topping requires extra sauce to enrobe the noodles for flavor. With that in mind, consider a beef and tomato stir-fry to top the rice noodle pancake. You’ll be preparing a rice or gluten-free take on a classic Cantonese chow mein. Or, build extra sauce into and extra gingery chicken stir-fry from Cambodia. You can also wing it with my panfried noodle blueprint (published at my newsletter). I used it for this shrimp and tofu vegetable stir-fry atop panfried rice noodles.
Pan-Fried Rice Noodle Master Recipe
In the Vietnamese repertoire, this is called Phở Xào Dòn. I wrote this recipe with the stir-fried topping built in so you have a sense of timing.
Ingredients
- 200 to 225 g | 7 to 8 oz dried wide flat rice noodles
- 3 to 4 Tbsp neutral oil
- Fine sea salt
- Stir-fry topping of your choice (see suggestions in main post)
- ¾ tsp Agave Syrup, honey, or sugar
- 1 ½ Tbsp cornstarch
- 1 ½ Tbsp water
Instructions
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Cook the noodles: Bring a medium-large pot of water to a boil over high heat, add the noodles, then cook them at a bubbly pace until done but slightly firm, about 7 minutes. Drain, flush with cold water, and drain again. Transfer to a baking sheet. Toss with ¼ tsp salt and 2 tsp oil. Then spread the noodles out to dry and cool completely, about 15 minutes, before continuing. Or, cool, cover and refrigerate up to 3 days; return to room temperature before seasoning and panfrying.
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Prep the topping ingredients. Keep them by the stove so you can easily stir-fry them after panfrying the noodles.
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Coat the noodles just before panfrying: In a medium bowl, stir together the salt, sugar, cornstarch, and water; add the noodles and toss to coat. To panfry the noodles, use a medium nonstick skillet and heat to medium or medium-high. Add about 2 Tbsp oil to film the bottom of the skillet. Add the noodles, spreading them into a large pancake. Let gently sizzle for 4 to 5 minutes, until golden or golden brown on the underside (check the rim or lift to peek) and stuck together as a nest of sorts.
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Confidently slide and shake the skillet then jerk it to flip the noodle pancake. Drizzle about 1 Tbsp of oil around the perimeter, then continue frying the noodles adjusting the heat as needed, until crisp chewy and pale gold, 3 to 4 minutes. When done, slide the skillet into the oven to keep warm.
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Stir-fry the topping as instructed in its recipe. When done, take the pancake off heat. Slide the noodles onto the serving platter, with the crisper and more handsome side up. Cut with kitchen scissors into 4 or 6 wedges. (Or cut the noodles on a cutting board before positioning it on the stir-fry.) Top your stir-fry goodness and run to the table to eat it all up.