Silver needle noodle (), rat noodle (), ''bee tai bak'' (), runny nose vermicelli () or ''lot'' (), giam ee () is a variety of
Chinese noodle.
[Amy Chen]
Short Rice Noodles / Lao Shu Fen 老鼠粉 - MaMaChineseCooking.com
or លត lot in Khmer . Accessed January 12, 2007. 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
Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...
,
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
,
Cambodia
Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...
,
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
,
Malaysia
Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
,
Thailand
Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
,
Vietnam
Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
and
Singapore
Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
.
Names
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" in Malaysia and Singapore. They are sometimes also called as pin noodles. 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.
Production
The noodles are made from a mixture of ground
rice flour
Rice flour (also rice powder) is a form of flour made from finely milled rice. It is distinct from rice starch, which is usually produced by steeping rice in lye. Rice flour is a common substitute for wheat flour. It is also used as a thickening ...
from glutinous or non-glutinous rice and water, but sometimes combined with
cornstarch
Cornflour, cornstarch, maize starch, or corn starch (American English) is the starch derived from corn (maize) grain. The starch is obtained from the endosperm of the kernel. Corn starch is a common food ingredient, often used to thicken s ...
to reduce breakage during cooking.
The noodles are hand-shaped and rolled into the iconic needle profile, then steamed. Shaping the noodles is an acquired skill. 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
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.
The purpose of using clay-pot is to keep warmth of the dish.
See also
*
Chinese noodles
*
Lai fun
Lai or LAI may refer to:
Abbreviations
* Austrian Latin America Institute (Österreichisches Lateinamerika-Institut)
* ''Latin American Idol'', TV series
* La Trobe University#La Trobe Institute, La Trobe Institute, Melbourne, Australia
* Leaf ...
*
Rice noodles
Rice noodles are noodles made with rice flour and water as the principal ingredients. Sometimes ingredients such as tapioca or corn starch are added in order to improve the transparency or increase the gelatinous and chewy texture of the noodle ...
External links
2010-07-13 草嶺清涼系列-2~米苔目康樂社區遊客米苔目DIY 【MUJO趴趴走--宜蘭三星銀柳節】2012手工米台目製作體驗.食譜&實作
References
{{Chinese noodles
Chinese noodles