What are cellophane or glass noodles?

English: Cellophane noodles, Chinese vermicelli, Bean threads, Bean thread noodles, Crystal noodles, Glass noodles
Mandarin Chinese: Fen Si 粉丝/粉絲
Minnan Chinese (Hokkien): Dang Hoon 冬粉, Sio Hoon 細粉
Cantonese Chinese: Sai Fan 細粉, Fan Si 粉絲
Japanese: Harusame 春雨
Korean: Dangmyeon 당면/ 唐麵, 호면/胡麵
Vietnamese: bún tàu/bún tào, miến/miến dong
Bahasa Indonesia: Sohun, Soun, Suun (from Hokkien)
Bahasa Malaysia: Tanghoon (from Hokkien)
Tagalog: Sotanghon (from Hokkien)
Thai: Wun sen วุ้นเส้น
Hawaiian: long rice
Samoan: lialia
German: Glasnudeln
Dutch: Glasmie
Spanish: Fideo celofán
Swedish/Norwegian: Glasnudlar

Cellophane noodles are a staple in Confucian countries in Northeastern Asia: China, Japan and Korea. Through the Chinese diaspora in Southeast Asia and the Pacific, it has infiltrated the cuisines of Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and even Hawaii.

It is originally made of starch from mung (green) beans. But throughout the ages, variations occured and it can also be made with starch from tapioca, sweet potato, potato, yam etc. This does not make too much of a difference in taste, but it does determine the colour as well as how quick it dissolves in boiling water.

These noodles vary in shapes and sizes. The colour ranges from brown to white. You can get them completely broad and flat or very thin. It all depends on how you want to use them in your dish.

Cellophane noodles are almost always used in a soup, such as in a hotpot (Chinese huoguo 火锅, Japanese Shabu-shabu しゃぶしゃぶ), because it soaks up all the flavours of the sumptous broth. Otherwise, one can stir-fry it, such as the famous Korean Japchae 잡채 /杂菜 or Sichuan “Ants climbing up the tree” 蚂蚁上树.