Product: Annie Chun’s Maifun Rice Noodles – $3.59+
I point the finger at two different elements that lead to the purchase and use of these Maifun Rice Noodles from Annie Chun’s. First…I blame a sale. I can’t pass up a sale on something that is gluten-free. So, thanks to my local grocery store having a price reduction on these, they have been in my pantry for a couple of weeks…and I have been pondering what to do with them.
That’s where the other element comes into play: My mom.
My mom has been surprising me recently with little envelopes in the mail that are full of recipes that I can try. One of the ones she sent me was for a delicious looking Vegetable Pad Thai. I had to tweak it a bit to ensure that it remained vegetarian and gluten-free, but it wasn’t difficult at all. And where the recipe called for flat rice stick noodles…I used these Maifun Rice Noodles instead, as they already had taken up residence in my pantry. Why go out and buy something else when I can easily substitute.
So, what are Maifun Rice Noodles? They are thin rice noodles, sort of like angel hair pasta, that cook up quick and easily and are ideal to use in any Asian style meal, be it soups, salads, or stir-fries. As I would be stir-frying mine up in my wok with the vegetables and sauces for the Vegetable Pad Thai, I followed the box directions for stir-frying with them, filled up a bowl with hot water, and soaked the noodles in it for about 8 minutes. Sure enough, after 8 minutes passed, they were no longer hard, but soft and ready to be added into the wok when the recipe called for it.
The difficult task came after I tossed everything in the wok and was ready to serve it up. Just like with pasta, the noodles like to wind around each other and get tangled into a giant knot, so while I had the vegetables and greens in the wok, the noodles were in the middle and none of the vegetables were easily intermingling with them. They were sort of off to the sides. So, I grabbed some tongs and did my best to mix everything together, but ended up scooping up noodles then ladling over the vegetables to be mixed with the chop sticks as we ate dinner. Sometimes, you just have to submit and let the food win.
All that being said, I couldn’t have thought of a better noodle to pair with this recipe. As the peppers and greens were sliced or roughly chopped, having the smaller, thinner noodles was a blessing in disguise. Not only did it lighten up the dish, but it didn’t take away from the flavors of the peppers and the mustard greens, garlic, ginger, lime, chilies, etc. Everything could be tasted without anything really dominating the dish. I loved how thin and light they were, which made me not fill up quickly and I didn’t feel stuffed at the end of my serving sized bowl.
These noodles are so versatile and with their natural lightness and thinness, they pair well in any cuisine. I hope another sale happens soon because I’d love to try these out in another recipe somewhere along the line, or create my own. Regardless, I’m in love with the versatility, flavor, and lightness of these Maifun Rice Noodles by Annie Chun. They were perfection in my stir-fry and really paired well with every component that was added to the wok and the dish in the end.
The Celiathlete 