How to Cook Glass Noodles

eHow may earn compensation through affiliate links in this story. Learn more about our affiliate and product review process here.
Yum woo sen (Thai noodles with shrimp).
Image Credit: TanawatPontchour/iStock/Getty Images

Start to Finish: 30 minutes Servings: 4 Difficulty: Easy

Advertisement

Use glass noodles to add texture and toothiness to soups, stir-fries and salads. As close to effortless as cooking gets, these vegetable-based noodles need only a brief soaking and quick warming to serve.

Video of the Day

Video of the Day

Ingredients

Stir-Fry

  • One 8-ounce package of glass noodles
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 cups sliced protein, such as chicken or beef
  • 4 cups vegetables, such as sliced sugar snaps, scallions and peppers
  • Secondary flavoring ingredients, such as soy sauce and mirin

Cooking the Noodles

Soak the noodles in a bowl of hot water until they're pliable, about 10 minutes.

Advertisement

Drain the noodles. Cut the noodles into 4- to 6-inch pieces using kitchen shears.

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook until transparent and tender, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain the noodles.

Advertisement

Adding to Stir-Fry

Set the noodles aside after cutting them. In stir-fry, glass noodles finish cooking in the moisture released by the other ingredients.

Heat a few tablespoons of peanut oil using medium-high heat in a wok or large nonstick skillet with sloped sides. A slope-sided pan is a must for the quick tossing required for stir-frying.

Advertisement

Add a sliced protein, such as chicken or beef, to the pan. Cook the protein until browned, moving it around the pan frequently, about 2 minutes.

Next, add the vegetables. Fry the vegetables until browned on the outside but still crunchy, about 2 minutes.

Advertisement

Add the glass noodles to the pan along with secondary flavorings, such as rice wine vinegar, mirin and soy sauce. Cook the noodles until transparent and tender, about 2 minutes, stirring frequently.

Cooking Notes

  • **Need to bolster a broth-based soup with some substantial but light chewiness?** Add soaked glass noodles to the soup as you finish cooking it. The noodles will finish cooking by the time you place the soup on the table.

  • **Use glass noodles for an Asian take on pasta salad.** After cooking the noodles in boiling water, drain them and add them to a mixing bowl. While the noodles are still warm, add a simple [Asian-inspired dressing](https://www.ehow.com/how_5640533_make-oriental-dressing.html) along with the secondary ingredients -- sliced chicken, mandarin oranges, peanuts, scallions -- anything works here. Chill the salad for 30 minutes in the fridge before serving.

Advertisement