Cellophane noodle

They’re usually made from mung bean starch, though some are made with sweet potato or other starches. They turn translucent when cooked, unlike rice noodles, which stay opaque.

For thin mung-bean noodles, soak them in just-boiled water for about 5–10 minutes until pliable, then drain well. Snip them into shorter lengths with kitchen scissors before adding them to the wok.

Soak and drain them first, then add them for the last 2–3 minutes of cooking so they warm through without going too soft. They’re good in hotpot and noodle soups, where they soak up the broth.

They’re used in Chinese stir-fries and hotpot, and in Thai yum woon sen, a glass-noodle salad. They also work as a filling in some spring rolls.

Yes, especially in soups, salads and spring rolls, but rice vermicelli stays opaque and has a firmer, less slippery texture. Cellophane noodles absorb sauces and broths particularly well.

Keep dried noodles in an airtight container in a cool, dry cupboard. Refrigerate cooked noodles within two hours, eat them within 48 hours and reheat them only once, until steaming hot, as advised by the Food Standards Agency.

Rice vermicelli has more: about 7.4 g per 100 g, compared with 0.2 g in cellophane noodles.