Cheung fun, aka rice noodle rolls are a classic dim sum favorite but did you know you can make them right at home?!
When I was a kid we went to dim sum every single Sunday. My favorite thing, always and forever will be rice noodle rolls. We would get an entire order just for me and even when I was small, I could finish the entire dish. I mean, I can still finish the entire dish but it’s not as impressive as an adult is it? Dim sum Sundays is still a thing for Mike and I, and of course we always, always order rice noodle rolls.
I love them plain, I love them stuffed with shrimp, I love them bursting with beef, I love them packed with pork, and I love them chock-full of chinese donuts. I freaking love rice noodle rolls.
What is cheung fun?
Rice noodle rolls, or Cheung Fun 腸粉, are a Chinese, Cantonese specifically, thin wide rice noodle that’s rolled up. They can be served filled with shrimp, beef, or other ingredients and also rolled up and served plain. Rice noodle rolls are served as a snack, small meal, or part of dim sum. They’re super popular in Hong Kong and all over the world. Rice noodle rolls are pure comfort food. If you’ve ever had dim sum, you’ve probably had rice noodle rolls. Rice noodle rolls are also the same as the rice noodles in chow fun, just cut up into noodles, instead of being rolled.
What does cheung fun taste like?
Rice noodle rolls taste like rice because that’s what they’re made out of. They’re mild and neutral and really take on the flavor of the sauce or seasoning you pair them with. Rice noodle rolls are all about the texture: soft and slippery, chewy with a little bit of bounce.
The best flour for rice noodle rolls
Rice flour makes up the majority of the rice noodle batter, but a little bit of cornstarch or tapioca starch is added for structure and texture.
For rice flour, I always use Erawan Elephant brand, the kind in a clear bag with red lettering on it.
As for using cornstarch or tapioca starch, that can be up to you! I tested out three different combinations:
Cornstarch + rice flour = soft and chewy with a bit of chewy bounce
Tapioca starch + rice flour = tender and soft, but not as chewy
Cornstarch + tapioca starch + rice flour = somewhere in the middle
I liked the rice flour and cornstarch combo best but Mike liked the rice flour and tapioca best. Strangely enough, rice flour plus cornstarch and tapioca was the least favored of the three.
How to make rice noodle rolls (or rice noodles!)
- Mix. In a large bowl, whisk together the rice flour, cornstarch and salt. Whisk in the water and oil until you have a smooth batter.
- Steam. Bring 1-2 inches of water up to a boil in wok or large sauté pan and place a steaming rack in the center of your wok. Lightly brush a non-stick square pan with oil. Give the batter a whisk then add 1/4 cup batter to the pan. Shake the pan to distribute the batter evenly then place on the rack, cover, and steam for 3-4 minutes, or until the rice noodle bubbles up.
- Roll. Carefully remove the pan from the steamer and let the pan cool slightly. Use a pastry scraper to roll up, starting from one edge. Remove the roll from the pan.
- Cut. Cut the rice noodle roll into 2-3 inch lengths. Brush lightly with oil and cover with plastic wrap while you make the rest of the rolls.
Do I need a special rice roll maker?
No, absolutely not. You can use a tray or a plate and a wide rimmed sauté pan with a lid. I bought a special rice roll maker because (if you can’t tell) I’m a little obsessed with rice rolls. But you can totally make them with just a rack and a regular wide sauté pan. Even better if you have a wok! All you need is a steamer rack and a small non-stick square baking pan that fits inside. That said, in these photos is the single drawer version of this cheung fun maker and it does make life easier.
How to store cheung fun
If you don’t finish your rice noodle rolls, wrap them up and place them in the fridge, they’ll keep for 2-3 days. They’ll harden up but you can warm them in the microwave or steam them.
How to eat cheung fun
You can eat them fresh, as is, doused in your favorite sauce. I like drizzling on a mix of hoisin sauce, soy sauce, chili oil, and sesame paste. It’s a flavor explosion of sweet and savory, spicy and nutty.
How to make fresh ho fun
Simply cut the rice noodle rolls into noodle width, then gently shake them out. Boom, fresh ho fun rice noodles for all your beef chow fun needs!
I hope you give this recipe a try! It’s a time investment, but there’s something so special about making your own rice noodle rolls at home. Next time you’re craving dim sum and can’t make it out, this recipe will be there for you. Plus, I know once you try it, you’ll be addicted. There’s nothing better than fresh rice noodles made right at home.
fresh noodles forever,
xoxo steph
Ingredients
- 1 cup rice flour 140g, see notes
- 1.5 tbsp cornstarch 13g
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 cups water
- 1 tsp neutral oil eg, canola
- soy sauce optional
- hoisin sauce optional
- green onions sliced, optional
- toasted sesame seeds optional
- sesame paste optional
- chili oil optional
Instructions
- In a bowl or large liquid measuring cup, whisk together the rice flour, cornstarch, salt, water, and oil.
- Bring 1-2 inches of water up to a boil in wok or large sauté pan and place a steaming rack in the center of the wok. Lightly brush a non-stick square pan or ceramic plate (that comfortably fits inside the wok) with oil.
- Give the batter a whisk then add 1/4 cup batter to the pan. Shake the pan to distribute the batter evenly then place on the rack, cover, and steam for 3-4 minutes, or until the rice noodle bubbles up.
- Using oven mitts, carefully lift off the lid and remove the entire pan with the rice noodle from the wok. Brush with oil and let cool slightly, as the noodle sheet cools, it will firm up slightly.
- Use an offset spatula or a scraper to release the edges of the rice noodle sheet. Use the scraper to roll it up into a log and set aside, covered. Continue to cook the rest of the batter, stirring the batter before you steam each noodle.
- Cut the rolled up rice noodles into 2 inch lengths. Serve drizzled with soy sauce, hoisin sauce, scallions, toasted sesame seeds, sesame paste, and chili oil.
Notes
1 cup rice flour 140 g
1.5 tbsp tapioca starch 13.5 grams Somewhere in the middle, not as chewy rolls:
1 cup rice flour 140 g
1 tbsp cornstarch 7.5 g
1 tbsp tapioca starch 9 grams
Estimated Nutrition
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What a weird coincidence! I’ve been debating whether I should attempt to make these recently. Any idea if this works in a glass baking dish? Or aluminum baking pan? I’m not a fan of non-stick bakeware.
hi cheryl,
it will work with a glass baking dish for sure! i haven’t tried an aluminum pan but i’m guessing with a light coating of oil it would work but i would go for glass first :)
this works for my one day out of the week that I allow myself pasta, and then might as well go all in with rolls of pasta! Have never tried noodle rolls before, guess my dim sum experience was just limited, so thank you for the introduction to them and for the recipe
Oh my goodness! I have been using a glass pyrex dish to steam my rice rolls…I had no idea these were available for home use! I’m on Amazon trying to decide which one I should order now :)
heehee i LOVE mine so much
I just need to say THANK YOU for sharing this!!! I received my steamer last week and I have already made countless batches….this makes things 1000x easier! My family is getting a little tired of the rolls at this point…but I’m not stopping! I have only been making the dried shrimp/scallion and fried cruller version but will be expanding soon! I could not get it to evenly coat the bottom of the pan with 1/4 cup though. For best results for me I used a scant 1/2 cup of batter…poured it in…put it in to steam for 30 seconds and pulled it out to ‘swirl’ the pan around a little so I could get even coverage on the bottom. I am going to try to reduce the amount of batter little by little so I can get the best coverage with the least amount of batter for the thinnest rolls possible! THANK YOU again! <3
I think this will work very well. Haven’t tried it yet but non-stick flat pan will do. Be sure to oil the edges of the pan or else, it may be difficult to lift the edge for rolling. DO NOT use too large a pan, or it may be challenging to lift. If your skills are honed as you improve, you might want to try using pure rice flour, which will be the smoothest, but it will be tricky rolling it without tearing. There are electric steamers on sale. I’ve got one & I’m going to try making some, soon as I find a rectangular pan that will fit into the steamer, which has a glass cover. I steam paus & dumplings all the time. I bought mine from Target years ago.
P.S. I used to own chinese restaurants & I’m a retired cook but still cooking my special items at home, so we don’t order takeout. For the sauce, the key ingredient is soy sauce. It’s good to cut the rolls into less than an inch chunks. Taste better if they absorb more sauce. Drip 1or half or less tbsp of cooking oil, add a dash of sesame oil & copious amounts of quality light Soy Sauce. If you prefer spicy, which I do, drip some Siracha chilli sauce thinly spread. Then add my special sauce. (Add1 tbsp oil, 1 tsp minced garlic into small pot & fry till fragrant. Then add 1 or 2 cups water to boil. Add 2 or 3 tbsp bean paste until it’s brown, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp oyster sauce with some dark soy sauce & bring to boil before thickening with starch. It should be sweet, salty but tasty. Use as desired onto the prepared rice rolls. Actually, this sauce should be prepared first if preferred. Sprinkle some roasted sesame seeds. This will be amazing if done right). Enjoy!!!
Hey Steph! I tried to follow everything you said to do, but my noodles were just a gloopy playdoh log. Any ideas what I did wrong? I used mochiko sweet rice flour, maybe that was it? Thanks for you wonderful blog, I love it so much.
hi em!
unfortunately sweet mochiko flour won’t work for these rolls! you have to use rice flour like the package in the photo. mochiko flour has a completely different texture.
I really love tour blog.
Hi, I am so pleased to find your blog. I tried to make these last week and the texture was all wrong. They came out granular, not smooth, and just crumbled when I tried to roll them. I used the Erewan Elephant Flour and steamed them on a plate (I didn’t have a pan that would fit in my wok). Is there more than one grind of Elephant Flour? What can I do next time to be more successful?
hi, what color was the lettering on the package of flour you bought?