We’re really excited to share this recipe for homemade rice noodles, or cheung fun, with you today. They can be used in many different applications, two of which we’re featuring right here.
The first is a classic. Dried shrimp and scallion rice noodle rolls. The second is a Chinese fried dough rice noodle roll (zha leung) which is a dim sum favorite. These are some of my favorite dim sum dishes, not to be confused with the shrimp and beef-filled rice noodles you may also be familiar with. We’ll save those for another post!
Rice noodle sheets are not the easiest thing to make, and if you’re lucky, you can buy them made fresh daily at your Asian grocery store. If not, you can follow this recipe and make them on your own at home!
The dried shrimp and scallion rice noodle rolls bring back memories for me because it was one of the first dim sum dishes I remember eating as a kid. I used to unroll them, spread some sauce on them and then roll them back up. These days, you can sometimes find these dried shrimp and scallion rice noodles pre-made in Asian grocery stores wrapped up in small trays with a plastic sauce cup for a quick lunch or snack. You will also see them in some dim sum restaurants.
The Chinese fried dough wrapped in rice noodles are an easy-to-make dim sum dish that I remember first seeing in dim sum restaurants as an adult. Chinese crullers (the fried dough) can usually be found near the tofu section of an Asian grocery store; they come in bags ready to be heated in the oven. They can be eaten on their own or with this dou jiang, but when they’re wrapped in rice noodles? Fuggetaboutit (apply heavy Chinese/Brooklyn accent), so good.
On with the recipes!
For the homemade cheung fun rice noodles:
Makes eight 10×10” rice noodle sheets
- 1 1/2 cups rice flour
- 3 tablespoons tapioca starch
- 2 tablespoons wheat starch
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons canola oil, plus more for greasing the pan
- 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
- 1 cup boiling water
Read all about the different types of Rice flour and starches in our Chinese Rice, Grains and Flours Ingredients page. It explains the differences and show pictures of each with amazon links where you can buy and have them shipped directly to you if you don’t have a nearby Asian grocery store.
Homemade Rice Noodles (Cheung Fun) Recipe Instructions:
To make the rice noodles, combine the rice flour, tapioca starch, wheat starch, and salt in a mixing bowl. Add the canola oil and 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the boiling water. Set aside and allow the batter to rest for 45 minutes.
We used an aluminum 10” square cake pan for steaming the rice noodles. You can also use a 9-inch round cake pan and simply adjust the amount of batter per batch. The noodles should be about 1/8” thick, so the batter should just cover the bottom of the pan in an even layer. This homemade noodle may come out a little thicker than what you get with dim sum in restaurants, but you can practice making them thinner!
Use a wok or a deep skillet for the steaming, but whatever you use, it must have a lid. See our post on how to set up a steamer if you’re not familiar with steaming foods in Chinese cooking.
Fill your chosen vessel with at least 2 inches of water. The cake pan with the batter in it should be able to float on the surface of the water, and then the entire cooking vessel should be able to be covered. Bring the water to a gentle simmer.
Very generously brush the bottom and sides of the cake pan with oil. Place the oiled pan on the simmering water to warm it up.
Give your batter a good stir, and then carefully pick up the pan (it’ll be hot), and pour some batter in. Swirl it around quickly so it evenly coats the bottom of the pan.
For my 10” square pan, I used a 1/3 cup of batter at a time. (Make sure that you give the batter a good stir each time before using it, because the rice flour, water and oil tend to separate a bit).
Once the pan is coated, place it on top of the simmering water, cover the pan, and steam for 3 minutes or until you see the noodle sheet bubble up in the wok which also is an indication that it is done.
For the cheung fun dipping sauce:
This dipping sauce can be served with both of these rolls.
- 2 teaspoons sugar in the raw or light brown sugar
- ½ cup water
- 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
Add the sugar and water to a saucepan and heat until all of the sugar is fully dissolved. Add the dark soy sauce and oyster sauce and let simmer very very gently until the sauce is thin but coats the back of a spoon in a translucent layer. Set aside.
For the shrimp and scallion rice noodle rolls:
- 1/2 batch cheung fun batter
- ¼ cup dried shrimp (optional)
- 1 tablespoon oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup chopped scallions
- toasted sesame seeds
When your cheung fun batter is ready, you can start making these. In a strainer, rinse the dried shrimp (if using) under running water. Soak them in warm water for 10 minutes. Drain, and roughly chop the shrimp. Set aside.
Add oil and chopped shrimp to a small pan over medium heat, and sauté for about 2 minutes.
Add the salt and scallions, and stir until combined. Remove from the heat and set aside. If you’re not using the shrimp, simply sauté the scallions with oil and salt for 1 minute, and set aside.
Cook your rice noodle according to the instructions above and take the cake pan off the simmering water (if using store bought rice noodle sheets, simply lay the noodle out in a flat layer on a clean surface).
Spread 2 tablespoons of the shrimp and scallion mixture all over the surface of the noodle, and sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds over it as well.
Use a rubber spatula to carefully part one side of the rice noodle from the pan, and roll it up in a tight cigar.
Remove to a cutting board and slice into 1-2 inch pieces with a sharp knife dipped in warm water.
Plate and garnish with sesame seeds, scallions, and serve with your dipping sauce.
For the fried dough rice noodle rolls:
- 1 batch cheung fun batter
- 1 package Chinese crullers (try our homemade recipe)
To make this Chinese fried dough rice roll, toast 2 crullers in the oven until crispy (instructions on the package. Usually a few minutes at 350 degrees F will do the trick). Split each cruller in half, since they often come with 2 stuck together.
Take your cooked rice noodles, and roll each half of a cruller in a rice noodle sheet.
Cut into pieces and serve with your dipping sauce. (Note: the rice noodle I used for the cruller in these pictures was a little bit too thick, but you can adjust the thickness with practice and to your own personal preferences).
You may have leftover crullers but they are pretty tasty on their own!
- 1½ cups rice flour
- 3 tablespoons tapioca starch
- 2 tablespoons wheat starch
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons canola oil, plus more for greasing the pan
- 1½ cups lukewarm water
- 1 cup boiling water
- 2 teaspoons sugar in the raw or light brown sugar
- ½ cup water
- 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- ½ batch cheung fun batter
- ¼ cup dried shrimp (optional)
- 1 tablespoon oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup chopped scallions
- toasted sesame seeds
- 1 batch cheung fun batter
- 1 package Chinese crullers (our homemade recipe is under development)
- TO MAKE THE RICE NOODLES:
- Combine the rice flour, tapioca starch, wheat starch, and salt in a mixing bowl. Add the canola oil and 1½ cups lukewarm water and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the boiling water. Set aside and allow the batter to rest for 45 minutes.
- We used an aluminum 10” square cake pan for steaming the rice noodles. You can also use a 9-inch round cake pan and simply adjust the amount of batter per batch. The noodles should be about ⅛” thick, so the batter should just cover the bottom of the pan in an even layer. This homemade noodle may come out a little thicker than what you get with dim sum in restaurants, but you can practice making them thinner!
- Use a wok or a deep skillet for the steaming, but whatever you use, it must have a lid. Fill your chosen vessel with at least 2 inches of water. The cake pan with the batter in it should be able to float on the surface of the water, and then the entire cooking vessel should be able to be covered. Bring the water to a gentle simmer.
- Very generously brush the bottom and sides of the cake pan with oil. Place the oiled pan on the simmering water to warm it up. Give your batter a good stir, and then carefully pick up the pan (it’ll be hot), and pour some batter in. Swirl it around quickly so it evenly coats the bottom of the pan. For my 10” square pan, I used a ⅓ cup of batter at a time. (Make sure that you give the batter a good stir each time before using it, because the rice flour and water tends to separate a bit).
- Once the pan is coated, place it on top of the simmering water, cover the pan, and steam for 3 minutes.
- TO MAKE THE DIPPING SAUCE:
- Add the sugar and water to a saucepan and heat until all of the sugar is fully dissolved. Add the dark soy sauce and oyster sauce and let simmer very very gently until the sauce is thin but coats the back of a spoon in a translucent layer. Set aside.
- TO MAKE THE SHRIMP & SCALLION ROLLS:
- When your cheung fun batter is ready, you can start making these. In a strainer, rinse the dried shrimp (if using) under running water. Soak them in warm water for 10 minutes. Drain, and roughly chop the shrimp. Set aside.
- Add oil and chopped shrimp to a small pan over medium heat, and sauté for about 2 minutes. Add the salt and scallions, and stir until combined. Remove from the heat and set aside. If you’re not using the shrimp, simply sauté the scallions with oil and salt for 1 minute, and set aside.
- Cook your rice noodle according to the instructions above and take the cake pan off the simmering water (if using store bought rice noodle sheets, simply lay the noodle out in a flat layer on a clean surface).
- Spread 2 tablespoons of the shrimp and scallion mixture all over the surface of the noodle, and sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds over it as well. Use a rubber spatula to carefully part one side of the rice noodle from the pan, and roll it up in a tight cigar.
- Remove to a cutting board and slice into 1-2 inch pieces with a sharp knife dipped in warm water. Plate and garnish with sesame seeds, scallions, and serve with your dipping sauce.
- TO MAKE THE FRIED DOUGH ROLLS:
- To make this Chinese fried dough rice roll, toast 2 crullers in the oven until crispy (instructions on the package. Usually a few minutes at 350 degrees F will do the trick). Split each cruller in half, since they often come with 2 stuck together.
- Take your cooked rice noodles, and roll each half of a cruller in a rice noodle sheet. Cut into pieces and serve with your dipping sauce. (Note: the rice noodle I used for the cruller in these pictures was a little bit too thick, but you can adjust the thickness with practice and to your own personal preferences).
Annette Guo says
Hi,
The recipe calls for tapioca starch and wheat starch specifically, but is it possible to substitute with corn starch for both of those? I don’t know anything about starches so not sure if they are equivalent, but those two starches are a lot more specific than what I normally have on hand.
Thanks for the recipe!
becky says
the 2 tablespoon of dark soy made the sauce bitter…
Bill says
Hi Becky, definitely check the expiration date of your dark soy sauce because it should not be bitter. If it still tastes a little bit bitter to you with a fresh bottle, then thin it out with a teaspoon or more of water and a pinch more sugar. Happy cooking!
Bob says
Is the recipe for making the shrimp and beef-filled cheung fun very similar to this one? These were some of my favorites growing up, but now good ones are very hard to find after I moved away.
Bill says
Hi bob, this is actually not the same recipe you are talking about. Judy has the shrimp rice rolls recipe you are referring to in the works. This rice noodle roll recipe is a classic that just about disappeared. In Cantonese, it was prononced “gee cheung fun”. Stayed tuned and sign up for email updates for the recipe you’re looking for!
Judy says
Hi Bob, I will be posting a Shrimp Cheung Fun recipe soon. Make sure you sign up for our email notifications to get new posts in your inbox.
Peter L says
Hi recipes sounds good, but have not tried yet. However, was in Hong Kong recently at a street retaurant, and I observed a few things which might help. They used a thin rectangle metal pan, but covered with fabric, which I assume to be a cheese cloth material. Then poured the batter onto pan without the any oil. Steam for less than 3 minutes, removed from steamer, and allowed to cool slightly, lifting the cheese cloth edges, which draped over the sides of the pan, They now rolled the foon in different manners to complete the order. This does a couple of things： a）foon is thinner and lighter and cooks faster, thickness closer to 1/16 of inch vs. 1/8“. However, probaly harder to handle and roll. For the adventurous ones this tip migt help
Judy says
Hi Peter, I have seen that sight many times. We have to modify the technique for home cooks. :-)
Janet says
Is this the same recipe for the rice noodles that can be used to make “chow fun” is you stir fry? We miss the thick chewy yummy noodles from Chow Fun that we used to get in NYC.
Judy says
Hi Janet, try this homemade rice noodle for stir fried noodle dishes.
Romy says
Is this rice noodle the same as teochew rice flakes? Im trying to impress my fiance with her favorite meal.
Judy says
Hi Romy, try this one: .
Connie says
Your recipe is fantastic that my daughter and MIL asks if I can make it again. Can I make the batter ahead and refrigerate the night before? So the morning of, I will have one less thing to do instead of waiting 45 min for the batter to come together?
BTW, I learned the hard way that I have to use a metal pan to cook the rolls. I used a glass plate and it was falling apart and for some reason, wasn’t cooking the batter so it tasted raw. Once I switched to a metal pan, it came out beautifully.
Bill says
Hi Connie, you can definitely make it ahead but just make sure you mix it up well before using it and let it come up to room temperature. I also found that a metal pan works better.
Abby says
Hello, Sadly no time to make fresh noodles. I’m saving the fresh recipe when I take a random day off from work :).
I’m trying to use store bought ones. If I’m making prawn cheung fun, do I cook prawns first then put on premade noodle, roll and steam? Or do I put raw prawns on noodles, roll and then steam?
Bill says
Hi Abby, if you are making the dim sum version, you should use the shrimp raw to ensure they don’t overcook. Just make sure they are at room temperature or warmer. A short rinse in warm water is an easy way to do it. This way, the shrimp cooks easily when steamed. I also suggest adding some salt, sugar, and sesame oil for a quick marinade for the shrimp before steaming. Although not the same as you get in restaurants, using fresh storebought noodles is a quick and easy way to make this shrimp dim sum dish at home!
Kerwin Wells Tugas says
how do i prevent the noodles from breaking when i want to heat it up? I am having a hard time stuffing them and heating them up without breaking them. I need your help
Bill says
Hi Kerwin, you definitely have to be gentle with these noodles after refrigeration. You can warm them up on a plate in a steamer until they are just softened before stir-frying. Or heat the dish through in the steamer if reheating leftovers. Happy cooking!
Noella says
Please give me the Chinese characters for this dish. Do you know the name in Mandarin? When my children were little we lived in the country outside of Winnipeg Manitoba Canada in a small town. If we were in the city at lunch time, they all loved to go to a Chinese restaurant that serves these along with 油条 and 粥.
Judy says
Hi Noella, the Chinese translation for this dish is 肠粉。The ones with shrimp inside are called 虾肠粉, and the ones with beef inside are called, 牛肉肠粉。