Recently I decided to use up a package of rice noodles, also known as rice sticks, that had been sitting on a pantry shelf for some time. I wanted to see whether these quick-cooking noodles work in Italian pastas and in a few other dishes. I was pleasantly surprised not only do they work, but because rice noodles don’t get soggy, I was able to enjoy leftovers for a few days.
The thin vermicelli-type noodles called maifun are quite versatile; I found them preferable to the linguine-width pad Thai rice sticks in the non-Asian dishes I tested. They grab sauces in much that same way that angel-hair pasta does, and they’re great in salads and stir-fries.
Ounce for ounce, regular pasta and rice noodles have the same number of calories and similar carbohydrate measures. But rice noodles stretch farther than wheat-based pasta: two ounces really will make a substantial serving. Despite what the package might say, nobody ever eats less than three ounces of regular semolina pasta. Rice noodles also are gluten-free, a godsend for those who can’t tolerate gluten but love their pastas.
Now you can buy brown rice noodles that are made of whole grains and contain four grams of fiber per serving; regular rice sticks contain anywhere from 0 to 0.7 grams of fiber per serving (check your packaging to see). Brown rice noodles look just like the regular rice noodles and are just as easy to prepare, but taste a little nuttier.
Rice Sticks With Uncooked Tomato Sauce, Tuna, Capers and Olives
This is a great way to use the last of your summer tomatoes. Because rice sticks don’t get soggy, the dish won’t suffer if it sits, so you could serve this as a cold pasta salad. It’s good either way, hot or cold.
- 1 pound ripe, locally grown tomatoes
- 1 to 2 garlic cloves, green shoots removed, finely chopped or puréed
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon balsamic or sherry vinegar
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 5-ounce can water-packed light tuna, drained and broken up with a fork, or 5 to 6 ounces cooked fresh tuna, cut in thin bite-size pieces
- 1 tablespoon capers, rinsed
- 10 imported black olives, halved and pitted
- 2 tablespoons slivered basil leaves
- 7 to 8 ounces thin rice sticks
- Begin heating a large pot of water. Cut the tomatoes in half along the equator. Set a strainer over a bowl, and squeeze out the seeds. Rub the seed pods against the strainer to extract the juice, and discard the seeds. Cupping the skin side of the tomatoes in your hand, grate the tomatoes on the large holes of a box grater into a wide bowl. Stir in the garlic, salt and pepper, balsamic vinegar, tuna, capers, olives and olive oil. Allow to sit for 20 to 30 minutes while you soak the rice sticks.
- Place the rice sticks in a large bowl, and cover with hot water. Soak for 20 minutes or until pliable, and drain. Using kitchen scissors, cut the noodles in half, into roughly 6- to 8-inch lengths.
- When the water comes to a boil, salt generously and add the rice sticks. Boil one minute until tender but still al dente, and drain. Toss at once with the tomato mixture and the basil, and serve.
Yield: Serves four.
Advance preparation: The tomato topping will keep for a day or two in the refrigerator. The soaked noodles will keep in the refrigerator for three or four days. If you plan to serve this cold, you can make it up to an hour ahead of time; toss again before serving.
Nutritional information per serving: 287 calories; 5 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 19 milligrams cholesterol; 47 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber (6 grams if using brown rice noodles); 293 milligrams sodium (does not include salt added during preparation); 13 grams protein
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Source: The New York times
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