Name: Stir Fried Glass Noodles with Shrimp
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 6 min
Total time: 16 min
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 3.75 ounces bean thread noodles; 4 ounces shrimp (peeled and deveined (8-10 large shrimp)); 2 tablespoons vegetable oil; 3 cloves garlic (minced); 1 thumb size ginger (finely chopped); 1 1/2 tablespoon light soy sauce; 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil; 3 tablespoons water; 1 large egg (whisked); 2 stalks scallions (finely chopped); salt and white pepper (to taste); 1 tablespoon rice vinegar; 1 tablespoon soy sauce; 1/2 teaspoon corn starch

Only 15 minutes to make from start to finish for a large bowl of light and tasty stir fried glass noodles with shrimp. Yummy!

Stir Fried Glass Noodles Inspiration

Have you ever watched a chef effortlessly whip up a string of wok recipes – one after the other?

It’s captivating! And I can’t turn away.

You see, aside from eating in Asia, watching chefs is a favorite pastime of mine as well. Sure, it may be a bit impolite to stare, but I’m drawn to the fiery work being done over powerful gas burners in the open kitchens of Singapore’s hawker centres and street stalls in Bangkok.

The mastery those chefs display when crafting a simple Thai noodle dish or a veggie loaded stir fry is just… beyond. It’s almost as if those Asian recipes are forged by fire!

And the aggressive, well rounded flavor is usually at odds with the quick cooking time.

This stir fried glass noodles with shrimp recipe is a nod to those simple wok recipes you’ll find throughout Asia.

The ingredients list is super short, there are only a few steps to follow, and the cooking time is kept to a bare minimum.

The flavors are bold, savory and satisfying!

Stir Fried Glass Noodles Ingredients

Bean thread noodles: You’ll want to soak glass noodles in warm water to let them soften before adding them to the pan.
Shrimp: Use large wild caught shrimp from the US or Canada for the best tasting seafood.
Garlic: One clove is just the right amount of sweet pungency. Make sure it’s well minced to unlock its full garlicky potential.
Soy sauce: There’s nothing like soy sauce to infuse a dish with plenty of umami goodness.
Ginger: Use about a thumb size of ginger, peeled, and minced, for a little spiciness.
Toasted sesame oil: Toasted sesame oil has a more intense nutty flavor than regular sesame oil. It also has a lower smoke point, which is why it should only be used in salads or other chilled dishes, or added at the last stage of the cooking process.
Large egg: The egg is scramble in a similar fashion as it is for fried rice.
Scallions: Scallions add a crunch and is a common ingredient used in Asian recipes.
Salt and white pepper: You may or may not need to season your noodles depending on your own personal taste. Add to your liking.

Marinade/Sauce Ingredients (in a separate bowl)

Rice vinegar: Use plain rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar if you are in a bind.
Soy sauce: Even though this recipe isn’t Japanese, I still prefer using Japanese soy sauce over any other soy sauces. That’s the because is milder, less, salty, and more complex. Kikkoman and Yamasa are the two most popular brands that can be found outside of Japan.
Cornstarch: You can use cornstarch or potato starch. This ingredient is used to thicken the sauce.

Other Stir Fried Shrimp Variations

You can also choose to add bell pepper if you’re a fan—which adds a sweet flavor with a crunch. And if you like green onions or spring onions, garnishing the top of your dish will definitely add even more color. Some may even opt to add in wood ear mushrooms and/or coriander roots. It’s all really about your preferences. Despite what the age old adage says, don’t be afraid to play around with your food!

Easy and Delicious Glass Noodles Recipe

As I mentioned, this is a quick stir fry recipe that’s super tasty. But it’s also quite light!

I used mung bean noodles (aka: bean thread noodles) in this pan fried noodle recipe – and, aside from being light, they have a springy, slippery texture. They work so well with shrimp and eggs in both the flavor and texture departments.

But first, let’s get this out of the way: this specific recipe has no real provenance other than my kitchen. It’s not a Japanese, Thai or Chinese noodle recipe per se – although you’ll taste flavor elements endemic to all those wonderful cuisines.

Let’s just call it a basic stir fried Asian glass noodles recipe, the likes of which you can find anywhere in Southeast Asia, China or Japan.

And like most Asian shrimp and pasta recipes, this one can be made in either a wok or frying pan. Whatever you have handy in your home kitchen!

I think you’ll find the flavors are really similar to shrimp fried rice – and it’s just as easy to make. These shrimp loaded glass noodles are perfect for those hot summer days when you want to eat well, but can’t stand the thought of more than 20 minutes in the kitchen!

What Are Bean Thread Noodles?

Bean thread noodles fall into a category of clear noodle – sometimes also called glass noodles or cellophane noodles.

And, since there are quite a few different ingredients used to produce the various types of clear glass noodles in the Asian food lexicon, it isn’t always clear which is which.

To keep it simple and erase any doubt, bean thread noodles are the transparent noodles made from mung bean starch.

Mung beans are a legume. Once germinated in water, mung beans sprout and form mung bean sprouts – a super common ingredient in most Asian cuisines.

However, starch can also be extracted from ground mung beans that haven’t been germinated. And it is this starch that forms the delicate glass noodles (or bean thread noodles) we’re using in this yummy Asian noodle recipe today.

Bonus: on their own, mung bean noodles are vegan and gluten free.

How to Cook Glass Noodles for Stir Fry

This part is super easy! Take a large pot of water and boil it on medium high heat. Then place the noodles inside and let it soak in just 10 minutes of cooking! Drain noodles and then set aside and you’re all set. See? Not difficult at all!

You should be able to find these mung bean based glass noodles at most Asian grocery stores – or you can just pick them up on Amazon:

Bean Thread Noodles

What Are Other Types of Clear Noodles?

Aside from the mung bean thread noodles we’re using today, there are other types of noodles that qualify as cellophane noodles, also known as glass noodles.

Cellophane noodles (not to be confused with rice noodles) are transparent noodles made from starch and water. They can be made with various starches and come in different sizes but always to a transparent-type noodle. The transparency of these noodles is why they are often referred to as glass noodles—since they are see-through just like glass!

In many Korean recipes, you’ll find dangmyeon (당면 – Korean glass noodles) in use. However, instead of mung beans, these glass noodles are made from the starch of sweet potatoes.

These slippery sweet potato starch noodles are the glass noodle of choice when making this delicious Japchae recipe.

However, don’t confuse mung bean or sweet potato starch based glass noodles with rice vermicelli. While rice vermicelli can seem clear at a glance, those thin noodles – used in dishes like bún chả and Singapore chow mei fun – are actually white in color and made from rice.

An Easy and Flavorful Wok Recipe

Stir frying these pliant glass noodles and juicy, tender shrimp into a cohesive Asian noodle recipe in your home kitchen isn’t difficult at all. It’s also kind of fun to imagine that you’re a wok master, blasting the heat and making dish after dish under the blazing Thai sun. At least that’s how my brain works, hehe…

This recipe is an homage to the flavors you’ll find in pan fried noodle recipes all over Asia.

And the ease in which you can whip this up is a nod to the fact that wok recipes should pack a wallop for your tastebuds – but, above all, be quick and easy! In this case, you can’t have too much of a great thing!

What about you… What’s an easy recipe you make at home in no-time-flat that is just saturated with flavor? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!

Other simple, delicious recipes to serve alongside your stir fried glass noodles with shrimp: