A visitor
to the kitchen asked about how to get around sticky, tacky, clumpy cooked
noodles. Below is a transcript of our 9/17/03 email exchange:
Question:
I'm a seasoned
cooked, but I've always had trouble with my rice vermicelli clumping
together. Whenever I'm in a restaurant, I always get a bowl full of
beautiful strands and I'd like to reproduce that a home. Do you have
any techniques or tips?
My
response:
I don't
blame you. Those noodles can indeed be tacky strands! I've posted the
following tip on the Mama Says page of this
site:
Keep
Cooked Noodles from Clumping
Invert a cup or rice bowl at the bottom of your strainer or colander.
Pour in the cooked noodles and rinse with cold water. The cup/bowl
prevents the noodles from gathering at the bottom, cooling as a clump
and sticking together!
You want
to display smallish (tennis ball size) mounds of the noodles when serving.
This advance portioning makes it easy to pick up discreet quantities
of noodles. Also, avoid over cooking the noodles, which can lead to
extra stickiness.
