Viet World Kitchen

Vietnamese Noodles 101: Banh Pho Flat Rice Noodles

For decades I thought that the flat rice noodles that went into pho noodle soup and stir-fries were only available in dried form. That’s how we bought them in the United States. About 15 years ago, those “banh pho” rice noodles (named such in Vietnamese because they go into pho noodle soup) started being sold fresh in Cryovac packages at Asian markets. My mom still bought the dried kind. Then one day, I asked her about fresh versus dried banh pho rice noodles and she responded, “They were always fresh in Vietnam. We had no dried banh pho when we lived there.”

Wait, had I been living a faux pho life all these years? No, child, the dried ones available here are good and convenient to keep on hand when you have a neighborhood noodle vendor around the corner.  Duh, like pho. Indeed, go to Vietnam today and you’ll find freshly made noodles sold at markets and used at noodle joints. In the U.S., fresh noodles aren’t as readily available, but there are dried noodles that cook up wonderfully.

Our conversation earlier this week on defining faux pho spurred me to continue my (occasional) series of posts of Vietnamese noodles. Also, a couple of days ago, I noticed a young woman struggle with trying to find banh pho noodles at an Asian market. She got flat noodles but they were made of mung bean starch. I hope this guide will help you buy and use this ubiquitous Vietnamese noodle.

Myths and Truths about Cooking Rice

I admit that I’m somewhat of a Luddite when it comes to cooking rice. I do it in a pot. All my friends look at me and laugh as if I’m a fool. Why bother with such an old-fashioned method when a fuzzy logic rice cooker will make perfect rice every time?

It’s simple. The rice cooker takes up too much space on my counter and cooking rice in a pot keeps me on my game. Each pot is a little different but the fun challenge is honing your intuition to get is right for each meal. Plus, the kitchen smells great when a pot of rice is cooking. But many people have dreadful fears about cooking rice. With just two ingredients, it’s the simplest thing to make but also the easiest thing to mess up. And, all the bizarre myths about the cooking process are enough to drive someone to a box of Uncle Ben’s converted rice!

Rice was the first thing I learned to cook, and over the decades, I have had a number of revelations. Here they are to help you shine: