Buy Oriental rice stick noodles online

If you like to cook Oriental food but don't live in the big city, you might find it hard to track down things like flat rice stick noodles. But you can easily buy them online.

I've always liked Chinese and Thai food, but there is only one Oriental food store within twenty miles of where I live and I don't always have the time to go there when I need to! Our local supermarkets do sell some Oriental foods but the choice is very limited, particularly when it comes to noodles. You can buy dried wheat-based egg noodles, and very thin "Mai Fun" (angel hair/vermicelli style) noodles - and that's it. Nothing else. Which is a shame, because my personal preference when it comes to noodles to go with stir fries is flat rice stick noodles - the sort you get when you order Pad Thai in a restaurant.

I would imagine that a lot of people are in the same boat as me when it comes to finding the type of Oriental foods they want locally, so I've had a look online to see whether the choice is any better.

And sure enough, it is - you can buy plenty of Oriental foods online at Amazon.com, including rice stick noodles. You'll see a selection of rice stick noodles in the capsule further down this page - see whether any of the products listed is what you're after!

What's so great about flat rice stick noodles?

The brilliant thing about flat rice stick noodles is that they're much simpler to work with than the thin Mai Fun noodles, because you're less likely to overcook them. (If Mai Fun noodles are cooked for too long they break up into tiny pieces; not only does this look unattractive but the texture of the noodles when you eat them leaves a lot to be desired too.)

In contrast to this, the texture of cooked flat rice stick noodles is gorgeous - there's much more to get your teeth into, so to speak. And you can buy flat rice stick noodles in various widths from 1 mm to about 3 cm, with 3 mm being a typical size, so there's also plenty of choice.

Oh, and another advantage of rice noodles generally is that they are ideal for anyone with irritable bowel syndrome and/or wheat intolerance/gluten allergy.

Cooking with flat rice stick noodles

The thing I've found from buying rice stick noodles over the years is that the instructions on the side of the packet vary widely. Some brands recommend soaking (for up to an hour!) in hot water, while others say to boil them for several minutes. You might find that following the instructions on the packet doesn't necessarily give the results you'd like, depending on how firm/soft you like your noodles and on other things like altitude (yes, really!) So you may need to use a bit of trial and error is before you hit on the results that you want.

My personal experience is that how you cook rice stick noodles depends on whether you're using any liquid/stock in your recipe. In my own recipe for making stir fry rice noodles with chicken, I find that a good way to ensure the noodles come out well is to boil them for no more than a couple of minutes, so that they're flexible but still quite al dente.

Available on Amazon

	Annie Chun's Pad Thai Noodles, 8-Ounce Packages (Pack of 6) Pad Thai (fettuccine) rice noodles are perfect for making Thailand's national dish, Pad Thai, right at home. There's even an easy recipe right on the side of the package. ... ~~$27.48~~ $22.99
	Royal Blossom - Chantaboon Rice Stick (3MM) 16 Oz. Royal Blossom - Chantaboon Rice Stick are Asian rice noodles that are a staple for many dishes. These medium noodles (3 millimeter) can be used for soups, to stir fries, Asian ...
	Thai Wide Rice Stick Noodle -14 oz pack Product of Thailand. Wide rice stick noodles are typically used to make Kee Mao (drunken noodles) or pad siew. They are 3/8" wide, and after soaking get about 1/2" wide. Aside ...
	Royal Blossom - Chantaboon Rice Stick (1MM) 16 Oz.
	Rice Stick - Medium Great for pho, soups, pad thai and stir-fry!
	Rice Stick - Extra Large Great for pho, soups, pad thai and stir-fry!

In the meantime, I stir fry my vegetables and add some stock/gravy, followed by the drained al dente noodles. If you heat everything gently for another 5-10 minutes with occasional stirring, you'll find that the noodles cook some more, gradually absorbing the stock (and its flavour) as they go and giving a healthy, tasty meal in way under half an hour.

	Rice Stick - Large Great for pho, soups, pad thai and stir-fry!
	Ka-Me Stir Fry Thai Rice Noodles, 6 - 14.2-Ounce Units (85.2-Ounces) 2 Noodle pouches. Ready in minutes. All natural. Low fat. Authentic; Premium; Traditional. Combine with sauce for a quick meal. Thai Rice Noodles are common throughout ... Only $18.78
	GLUTEN FREE Vietnamese Brown Rice Noodles with Organic Green Tea - JUST NOODLES, 8.6 oz, 4 ... Star Anise Foods is proud to introduce the world's first brown rice Vietnamese noodles with organic green tea. We're so in love with our noodles that we've tried them in all ... Only $31.99