Mi Quang Noodles – wide/flat, yellow rice noodles

Identifying Vietnamse Noodles:

Mì quảng Noodles – Flat & traditionally Yellow (most now are white)

Common English Names: ?? Have not found any yet

We Call It : Flat, wide and thick, doughy rice noodle or  Mì quảng Noodles (yellow). Not so easy. But Beware!!

These noodles are used in two types of dishes. This noodle (in it’s white color) is used primarily in ” Phỏ Xaò” (stir fried Pho noodle dishes, not to be confused with the popular Pho beef noodle soup). Because this wide and flat like pho noodles normally are, these fresh ones are what restaurants choose to make the stir fried versions because they are already pre-cooked. Cooking thicker, dried  Phỏ noodles can be tricky, so restaurants prefer these fresh ones. ” Phỏ Xaò” is prepared in the same way that “Pad Thai” is prepared.

In it’s yellow (tumeric addition) color, these Flat , doughy rice noodles are traditionally eaten in  Mì quảng noodle dishes (some restaurants will use the white noodle version). But now many manufacturers are making them without the tumeric coloring, and just selling them in their original white color. Sold in ready to eat packages, these heavily oiled noodles must be separated, then unraveled into their separate strands. The reason for the oil is to keep the noodles from sticking together and drying out.

Mì quảng noodle soups differ than most normal noodle soups in that  Mì quảng soups have just enough broth to barely cover the noodles. Unlike other Việt noodle soup bowls whose broth will cover the noodles almost completely, the  Mì quảng broth is barely enough to slurp during the meal. If you don’t eat a  Mì quảng bowl fast enough, the broth will generally quickly be soaked up by the noodles.  Mì quảng soups are generally pork & dried shrimp broth based, although some regional and family recipes will use chicken and even duck. What makes  Mì quảng soups unique is the richness of the broth, the lack of it and the crushed peanut toppings on the noodles.