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How to pick among the many brands of rice noodles?

Question:

There are so many brands, thai and vietnamese, any guidance? I'm often disappointed in the texture.

Jonathan

My answer:

I assume you're interested in dried rice noodles. When it comes to flat rice noodles (banh pho), I've found Caravelle and Three Ladies to be good. These come in thickish plastic and the weights are 16 and 14 ounces, respectively. There's a green boat on Caravelle and Three Ladies has the logo of three women (the ladies), each dressed in traditional Southeast Asian outfits -- Viet, Thai and Lao, I think. [It's actually Viet, Mien, and Lao, per the packaging at the far right.] Bangkok Elephant is a good one too.

As for round rice noodles (bun), Pagoda brand [on the left in the photo] has been reliable for decades; the three flats of rice noodles come wrapped in thickish cellophane paper and the label says "Bun Thap Chua." There are many impostors of Pagoda Brand. Sailing Boat is another good brand and the label is very close to that of Pagoda. Imitation is the best form of flattery...

Of course, this all depends on what your grocer carries. Are you shopping at an Asian market? Mainstream markets, such as health food stores, will carry only one brand that its distributer considers to be the best, most consistent (read -- safest) brand. If you've got a choice among several brands, I recommend paying at the mid-to-upper end of the price range. There's fierce competition among Asian food manufacturers and a ten cent difference really matters.

Hope I was of help,

Andrea

Note to readers:

You may also find fresh rice noodles for pho noodle soup at Vietnamese and some Southeast Asian and Chinese markets. They're in cryovacked packages or in plastic bags, and are in the refrigerated section, usually near the dumpling wrappers. There's no need to soak or boil these noodles, like you'd need to do with the dried rice noodles. A quick dunk in boiling water is all they need.