The main reasons that noodles break apart when stir-frying is mainly due to overcooked noodles (too soft) after boiled in water, aggressive stir fry movements, and problems with noodles sticking to the wok or pan. Here are some important tips and tricks to avoid noodles from breaking during the stir fry process.
Do not overcook the noodles in boiling water
Most noodles purchased from the stores are in the form of dried hard noodles. They are brittle and can be easily snap off. To prepare noodles, you will need to cook them in boiling water for a few minutes until they are soft. However, make sure not to cook the noodles too soft if you are going to stir fry the noodles later. Drain out the noodles when it is about 85-90 percent cooked.
Noodles break if they stick to the wok or pan
The second problem when it comes to stir-frying the noodles is that they stick to the wok or pan. To avoid noodles from sticking to the pan, make sure you put enough oil to stir fry the noodles. Noodles tend to stick to the wok or pan if it is lacking cooking oil.
Noodles break when you stir-fry them with a spatula
Avoid stir-frying the noodles with a spatula, especially with the steel Chinese spatula for wok. The noodles are soft in heat, any aggressive move with hard or sharp items will break them. Instead of using a steel spatula (turner), use a pair of chopsticks or tongs to turn the noodles around in the pan. Minimize the movement while stir-frying the noodles will help to avoid breaking them.
Noodles break when stir-fry for too long
The soft noodles which have been boiling in water are almost cooked (around 85-90 percent cooked), thus you should minimize the time of stir-frying the noodles. Try to limit the time of stir-frying noodles in the hot wok for 3-5 minutes. Stir fry the noodles quickly before they become softer with heat, and this will help to prevent them from breaking.
Here you go! Now you can make yourself Stir-Fry Rice Vermicelli without breaking them.
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