How to distinguish clean noodles and noodles contaminated with chemicals

Vermicelli is made from rice starch. To get a batch of quality vermicelli, the rice must be carefully selected to ensure it is not moldy or wormy. The process of producing clean vermicelli usually takes from 5 to 7 days to produce the finished product, which is vermicelli with the ivory color of rice and natural crispness.

However, nowadays, many noodle production facilities, for profit, add chemicals to make noodles faster, more chewy and more colorful. Using these types of noodles not only reduces the quality of the dish but also easily causes illness. Therefore, how to distinguish clean noodles from noodles contaminated with chemicals is a matter of concern for many people.

To know if noodles are safe or not, you can rely on the following factors.

Color

Because it is made from rice flour, the natural finished vermicelli has an ivory white color, slightly opaque, not as bright and eye-catching as chemically produced vermicelli.

Gloss

Many manufacturers use chemicals to make the noodles look attractive and attract customers. This type of noodles is often pure white, shiny, and chewier, while clean noodles are not shiny and are opaque white.

Toughness

Another sign to distinguish clean vermicelli from chemically contaminated vermicelli is its toughness. Clean vermicelli has a natural toughness so it is easy to break and crumble if separated by force. When touching the vermicelli, you will feel a slightly sticky, soft feeling typical of rice flour.

Chemically marinated vermicelli is often chewy, crispy, has better elasticity, has little or no sticky feeling, and is soft like rice flour.

Flavor

In addition to observing and feeling with the eyes from the outside, clean vermicelli and vermicelli containing chemicals also have different flavors when eaten. Clean vermicelli often has a slightly sour smell, this is the natural sour smell of fermented rice flour, not because the vermicelli is spoiled.

Vermicelli containing chemicals has usually been bleached and deodorized, so it no longer has that characteristic sour smell. This is an important sign to distinguish clean vermicelli from vermicelli contaminated with chemicals.

Distinguish by fish sauce

You can use fish sauce to distinguish clean vermicelli from chemically contaminated vermicelli. Before eating, try mixing a little vermicelli into a bowl of fish sauce. If the vermicelli is soft and absorbs the fish sauce quickly, it is clean vermicelli. On the contrary, vermicelli with chemicals will be hard and absorb less fish sauce because the chemical coating on the outside prevents the fish sauce from penetrating inside.

Popular types of noodles

There are many types of noodles, suitable for different dishes.

• Bun tang: This is the type of vermicelli that after being taken out of the pot of water is put into a basket in a relatively messy way, without a clear shape. Bun tang is the most popular type and is suitable for the most dishes.
• Bun la or vermicelli leaves: The vermicelli is squeezed into strings with a diameter of about 4-5mm, about 30-40cm long. When eaten, these vermicelli leaves are cut into short pieces.
• Bun nam: The vermicelli is formed into small, flat cakes, less common than the two types of vermicelli above. Bun cham and bun nam are suitable for dipping dishes, such as cold vermicelli with snails, vermicelli with fermented shrimp paste.

Nowadays, to serve the special needs of consumers, many places produce additional types of vermicelli made from brown rice.