Cheung Fun (Rice Noodle Rolls)

published Apr 30, 2021
Cheung Fun (Rice Noodle Rolls)

When steamed fresh, these rice noodle rolls are bouncy, chewy, a little slippery, and the perfect blank canvas for your sauce of choice.

Serves2

Makes6 to 8 rolls

Prep5 minutes

Cook35 minutes

Jump to Recipe
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Credit: Courtesy of Eat Cho Food

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Sunday mornings spent with family at the local bustling dim sum restaurant was my version of brunch growing up. Instead of stacks of French toast and eggy frittatas, we indulged in pork siu mai, crispy sesame balls, and my favorite cheung fun, or rice noodle rolls. Cheung fun is widely popular at dim sum. When steamed fresh, the noodle rolls are bouncy, chewy, a little slippery, and the perfect blank canvas for your sauce of choice. Served either plain or stuffed with a variety of meat and vegetables, it’s delicious simply drizzled with sweet soy sauce, tossed in chili oil, or dipped into a mix of hoisin and sesame paste. Fresh cheung fun can be found at most Chinese markets, but for those who don’t live near one, making them from scratch is an option! The process isn’t nearly as daunting as some might think: It just requires some patience, practice, and ingenuity with the pots and pans already in your kitchen.

How to Set Up a Steaming Apparatus

Having the right steaming setup is honestly the hardest part of this whole process. You could purchase one of these monster things, but I have zero room in my house to even keep something like this so I just made my own setup using the equipment I already have. To build your own steaming setup, here’s what you’ll need.

  • 1/8th rimmed sheet pans or small/medium rimmed plates. I love my mini sheet pans for making cheung fun because they are flat, shallow, and fit well in my steamer. However, you can use a plate — preferably something with a rim or that dips down slightly to keep the batter in.
  • A wide-mouth and semi-deep braiser or frying pan with a fitted lid. This will be your steamer. The sheet pans or plates need to be small enough to fit inside of your steaming vessel. A fitted lid is important because it will keep the steam securely trapped inside. You will want to fill this up with about 1 inch of water. I have a little trivet I set in the water so the pans/plate can sit on something right above the water.
  • A flat bench scraper. This is so handy when it comes time to rolling up the rice noodle sheets. If you don’t have one, you can also use a spatula or anything that has a thin flat edge to get underneath the rice noodle roll.
Credit: Courtesy of Eat Cho Food

Tester’s Note

I always forget how easy it is to make fresh rice noodles — it’s just a few ingredients and takes just a few minutes if you have the right equipment. Make sure you have a wide steamer and a heatproof vessel that fits in it; I like using a pie plate or round cake pan. I like drizzling with soy sauce and sesame seeds, but Sriracha is also fabulous. Leftover rice noodle rolls are also great pan-fried in a little oil in a nonstick pan until crispy! —Christine

Cheung Fun (Rice Noodle Rolls)

When steamed fresh, these rice noodle rolls are bouncy, chewy, a little slippery, and the perfect blank canvas for your sauce of choice.

Prep time 5 minutes

Cook time 35 minutes

Makes 6 to 8 rolls

Serves 2

Nutritional Info

Ingredients

  • 2 cups

    water

  • 1 cup

    finely ground rice flour

  • 1/4 cup

    tapioca starch

  • 1/4 teaspoon

    kosher salt

  • Cooking spray or neutral oil

Topping options:

  • Chili oil

  • Oyster sauce

  • Dark soy sauce

  • Sriracha

  • Mix of hoisin sauce and tahini

  • Sesame seeds

  • Thinly sliced scallions

Instructions

  1. Prepare for steaming: Use a steamer or place a heatproof rack in a wok, braising pan, or wide, high-sided skillet with a lid. Find 1 to 2 heatproof vessels to steam in that fits on the rack with the lid snugly on, such as a 1/8 sheet pan (6x9-inches), rimmed plates, or 9-inch round cake pans or pie plates. Remove the vessel. Add an inch or two of water in the steamer and bring the water to a strong simmer over medium-high heat.

  2. Place 2 cups water, 1 cup rice flour, 1/4 cup tapioca starch, and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt in a medium bowl and whisk until smooth and combined.

  3. Lightly coat the steaming vessel with cooking spray or neutral oil. Give the batter a quick whisk because the rice flour tends to settle. Pour enough batter into the steaming vessel to just cover the bottom in a thin, even layer, about 1/4 cup for the 1/8 sheet pan or 1/2 cup for cake pans or pie plates.

  4. Place in the steamer, cover, and steam until set, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the steamer and let cool for 2 minutes. Meanwhile, steam the next round if you have more than one steaming vessel available, greasing the pan and whisking the batter before each round.

  5. To roll up the steamed rice noodle sheet, use a bench scraper or silicone spatula to get under one edge of the sheet. Gently release the noodle from the pan and continue to roll up until you reach the other side. Place the rice noodle roll seam-side down on a plate.

  6. Serve the rice noodle rolls hot with your favorite toppings!

Recipe Notes

Storage: If you want to make a big batch of cheung fun and save them for later, just stack the rolls up on a plate and tightly wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for up to 4 days. Once they are chilled, the noodles will firm up. To soften the noodles again, resteam for a few minutes or microwave for 2 to 5 minutes while covered with a damp paper towel. They will be as good as new!