Cheung (Cheong) Fun - Rice Noodle Rolls Recipe (2024)

The Origin of Rice Noodle Rolls

In Chinese, rice noodle rolls are known as cheung fun. Traditional rice noodle rolls first appeared as early as the Tang DynastyinLuoding City, Guangdong, which is the kind we make in this recipe.

Other versions of rice noodle rolls appeared in other regions and are distinguished by their regional names such as thewell-known Guangzhou Xi Guan rice noodlerolls, Meizhou rice noodlerolls, Chaozhou rice noodlerolls, Yunfu Estuary rice noodlerolls, etc.

There are two main types of Guangdong rice noodle rolls:pulledcheung fun and drawer cheung fun.

PulledCheung Fun

Pulledcheung funis made of rice flour, wheat starch, chestnutflour, and cornstarch.

It is made by pouring the rice flour slurryonto a steaming rackcovered with a cloth, adding the fillingsand then steaming it inside another larger pan.

After it’s cooked, thecloth is peeled away from the rice noodle using a scraper.This method produces a nice thinrice noodlewith a slippery texture.

PulledCheung Fun is not always readily availableto buyand is mostly onlyeaten inhigh-end restaurants.

At present, due to the secret of Cloth PulledRice Noodles being in the hands of a small number of people, there is a smallermarket for it, and it is more expensive than the drawer rice noodles.

Drawer CheungFun

Drawer Cheung Fun ismadefromriceflourbatter and is as the name suggests – made on flat drawers that slide into a commercial steamer.

It is the most commonrice noodle roll made and sold commercially. The flat stainless-steel drawers are the perfect surface on which to scrape the delicate noodle.

Drawer Rice Noodlesarealmost transparent and as thin as onion skin, though strong and elastic with adelicious taste.

It is a popular breakfastfood in Guangdong.

The maindifference between the two kinds of rice noodles is the taste.Drawer Cheung Funincludes a certain amount of glutinous rice, which makes the noodle a littlethicker.

Cloth Pulledcheung fun is smootherand thinner, with a more delicate taste.

Here are a few examples of the different kinds of cheung fun:

Rice noodles are easy to make yourself since rice flour is readily available as, too, is the cornstarch.

You can even buy pre-packaged rice noodle mix to save you the time and effort of preparing the mixture yourself.

When making rice noodle rolls for breakfast, there is no need to go to the effort of making all kinds of stuffing as most people simply do not have the time. The sauce is the priority here, which can be made the day before.

However, if you have them for lunch or supper, it’s worth taking the time to prepare a variety of flavors to add to the rice noodle rolls such asshrimp, pork and other tasty morsels, which will make them more filling and nutritious.

Whether the rice noodle rolls taste good or are mediocre, they are so much better with the sauce, so make sure you have that when serving them.

You can do without meat or even eggs, but the sauce simply cannot be left out. It is the taste of the sauce that will linger in your mind long after you’ve finished eating the rice noodle rolls.

To save time in the morning, if you have rice noodle rolls for breakfast, I usually makethe sauce the night before. If I like to add meat, I can also prepare thatthe night before, and keep them in the refrigerator.

Sometimes I make the rice noodle mixture the night before, which works fine, but is better when made just before you’re ready to cook it.

You will need to give it a good stir in the morning.The results of this recipe are definitely worth yougetting uphalf an hour earlier.

As for the tools, I used a flat stainless steelplate and pizza tray.A stainless steel surface is best for cooking rice noodles on as it is very smooth and slippery, so the noodles won’t stick.

The size of the pan needs to be as big as possible, but must also small enough to sit or float inside a bigger pan for steaming.

How to Make the Garlic Soy Sauce

• 5-6 garlic cloves
• 2 teaspoons of cornstarch
• 3 teaspoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons oyster sauce
• 200 ml water
• 2 tablespoons oil

Step 1

Mince the garlic cloves, or chop very finely.

Step 2

Measure thetwo teaspoons of cornstarchin a small bowl and add 200 ml water, soy sauce,and oyster sauce.Stir wellto combine.

Step 3

Add the oil to the wok and sauté the garlic until golden yellow. Add the cornstarch mixture from Step 2and simmer until it isclear.

How to Make theRice Noodle Roll

Ingredients

Makes three servings of Steamed Rice Noodle Rolls

• 120 g rice flour
• 25 g or 1 tablespoon wheat starch (can be replaced with sweet potato starch)
• 380 mlwater
• 100g minced beef or pork
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1 green onion, chopped finely
• 1 tablespoon cooking wine
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce

Step1

Combine thesticky rice flour, wheat starch, and waterin a bowl andmix well.

Step 2

In another bowl, combinethe cooking wine, soy sauce and minced meat and mix well.

Have all the ingredients and utensils ready to go, as shownbelow.

Step 3

Brush a flat-bottomed heatproof dish with athinlayer ofoil, and scattera small amount of the meatmixture over the oil.

Pour a fewspoonfuls of the rice flour slurry onto the plate, just enough to cover the whole surface.

On top of this, addhalf abeatenegganda small amount of chopped green onion, continually shaking the dish to spread the slurry over its entire surface.

Step 4

Add the 100 ml of water to a pan large enough for the dish to sit in without touching the sides. Bring the water to the boil.

Place your steamer tray into the pan and sitthe flat dishon top of it. Steam for three minutes, until the rice noodle forms largebubbles, as shown in the picture below.

Step 5

Using yourscraper, scrape the rice noodle up into a roll and then cut into 4-5 pieces.

Pour the garlic soy sauce over and serve with steamed lettuce for a well balanced meal.

Cooking Tips:

1. The rice slurry should be mixed until completely smooth and stirred again just before each time you add more to the pan. A whisk works best for this task.

2. Cooking the sauce until it is clearis very important. This sauce can be made ahead and kept in therefrigeratorfor up to two days.

3. The minced meat mixture should be stirred until quite mushy with no lumps. It can also be made ahead and kept in the fridge for a day or two, but is best used within a day.

Small amounts of meat work best in this dish so that it cooks at the same rate as the rice noodle roll. Too much meat will not cook quickly enough, and you will have either undercooked meat or overcooked noodle. The meat can be left out if you prefer.

4. The meat is placed in the pan first, so it begins to cook first, then the slurry is poured on top of it so that evaporation of the liquid occurs.

5. Use one egg for every two rice noodle rolls.

6. Scrapers are ideal for this recipe. You can get them at most bakery stores.

7. Pouring the right amount of the rice flour slurry into the dish may take a few tries to get the right thickness. Pour only enough to coat the surface of the dish; too much and the rice noodle roll will be too thick, and not enough will make it too thin and difficult to handle, and won’t taste as good.

8. I like to have two dishes on the go which makes the whole process faster.