But from what I’ve learned from reading through advice from Thai chefs, and my own experience, it’s best to soak them before using them in room temperature water until you can wrap a strand around your finger without it breaking. Soak them in room temperature water before using them: If you search how to cook dried rice noodles online, some people say to boil them, others say to soak them in hot water, etc. It does take some time to pull them all apart and all the noodles have to all be made at once, but for me, I prefer the smooth texture of the fresh noodles compared to dried rice noodles in some Thai dishes. Fresh rice noodles are easy to use because you just put the package uncut in microwave for about a minute or two, and then after it cools a little, cut open the package, and pull apart the strands. I prefer using fresh rice noodles for dishes like Pad See Ew, Pad Thai, Pad Kee Maw, and dried rice noodles for Thai noodle soups.

I always choose rice noodles that say Made in Thailand, and choose your rice noodles based on the Thai dish you’re making. Here are my six tips on cooking with rice noodles to make Thai dishes like Pad Thai, Pad See Ew, Pad Kee Maw or Thai noodle soups.Ĭhoose the right rice noodles. Most of my American friends tell me they get overwhelmed at the Asian market because they walk down the noodle aisle packed with rice noodles and don’t know which one is best.

I decided to just go for it, and was reminded that even though I’m not a Pad Thai Chef, I’ve learned a lot from studying recipes from my favorite Thai chefs, and mainly cooking it and messing it up a lot and learning what not to do, so now I can help others learn from my mistakes. I was even nervous to teach the Pad Thai class since it’s so easy to mess up Pad Thai noodles and didn’t want to serve them underdone Pad Thai rice noodles or gooey Pad Thai. While teaching it I was reminded how for me the hardest part about making Pad Thai is getting the rice noodles just right. I taught another Thai cooking class on Pad Thai this week to my Mothers’ of Preschoolers (MOPS) small group friends.

Cooking pad thai noodles