Easy Brown Rice Vermicelli Noodles With Fresh Shiitake Recipe

By
Darlene Schmidt
Darlene Schmidt
Darlene Schmidt is a cookbook author and culinary teacher who specializes in Thai cuisine.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 11/12/21
Easy Brown Rice Vermicelli Noodles With Fresh Shiitake Mushrooms in a bowl

The Spruce / Cara Cormack
Prep: 9 mins
Cook: 15 mins
Total: 24 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
296 Calories
18g Fat
26g Carbs
10g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 296
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 18g 22%
Saturated Fat 2g 9%
Cholesterol 96mg 32%
Sodium 919mg 40%
Total Carbohydrate 26g 9%
Dietary Fiber 4g 13%
Total Sugars 6g
Protein 10g
Vitamin C 62mg 309%
Calcium 132mg 10%
Iron 3mg 15%
Potassium 694mg 15%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

These brown rice noodles are fantastically light (not heavy like most brown noodles and pasta). Highly flavored and combined with shiitake mushrooms plus bok choy, this dish is a treat when you find yourself craving noodles or pasta.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups chicken broth

  • 2 large eggs, or substitute 1/4 cup soft tofu

  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce, vegetarian fish sauce, or soy sauce

  • 4 tablespoons oil, divided

  • 4 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1 to 2 fresh red chiles, minced

  • 1 small onion, diced

  • 4 tablespoons white wine, sherry, or broth

  • 2 cups shiitake mushrooms, sliced

  • 2 cups bok choy, leaves separated from stalks, chopped

  • 1 (7-ounce) package brown rice vermicelli noodles

  • 2 to 3 cups bean sprouts

  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white or black pepper

  • 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped, optional

  • Lime wedges, optional

  • 1 bird's eye chili, sliced thin, optional

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Easy Brown Rice Vermicelli Noodles With Fresh Shiitake Mushrooms ingredients in bowls

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  2. Heat broth (if making it from cubes, simply mix cubes with boiling water in a glass measuring cup or bowl).

    Broth in a blue pot

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  3. Add eggs and stir until yolks break and cook (more or less dissolve) in broth.

    Broth with eggs in a pot with a wooden spoon, next to a bowl with egg shells

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  4. Stir in fish sauce, vegetarian fish sauce, or soy sauce. Set aside. If using tofu, stir soft tofu into broth as you would with eggs.

    Soy sauce added to the broth in a the pot with the wooden spoon

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  5. Place a wok or large frying pan (it should be quite deep) over medium-high heat. Add oil and swirl around. Then add garlic, chile, and cooking onion. Stir-fry 1 minute, or until fragrant. Whenever wok/frying pan becomes dry, add a tablespoon of wine/sherry or broth instead of more oil. 

    Garlic, chile and onions in a wok

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  6. Add mushrooms and continue stir-frying another 2 minutes, or until mushrooms have softened.

    Mushrooms, onions and garlic cooking in a wok

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  7. Add white pieces of bok choy and stir-fry another minute or two, until softened.

    Bok choy, mushrooms, onions and garlic cooking in a wok

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  8. Now add broth-egg (or broth-tofu) mixture you made earlier, plus bok choy greens, stirring to combine.

    Broth added to the mushroom mixture in the wok

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  9. When this soup-like mixture starts to bubble, reduce heat to medium and add noodles. Don't worry if noodles look as if they're just "floating" on top. Using a spoon or spatula, press them down into broth, then gently turn them over and do the same with the other side. Gradually they will soften down into hot liquid and separate.

    Vermicelli noodles added to the broth and vegetables in the wok

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  10. As the noodles soften, continue to turn and mix them over medium heat using a tossing motion (almost as if you were tossing a salad) until all the broth has been absorbed. Do this gently, as the noodles are very thin and tear easily.

    Noodles and vegetables in a wok with a wooden spoon

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  11. When all the broth has been absorbed (after about 5 minutes), turn off heat and add bean sprouts and sprinkle over black or white pepper. Again, toss noodles to mix these ingredients in.

    Bean sprouts added to the rice noodle mixture in the wok

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  12. Taste-test noodles. If they need more salt, sprinkle one more tablespoon of fish sauce, vegetarian fish sauce, or soy sauce over noodles and toss to combine. Do this until desired taste is achieved.

    Noodle mixture in the wok, flavored with soy sauce

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  13. If too salty for your taste, squeeze 1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lime or lemon juice over noodles and toss to combine. (Note: The saltiness of your noodles will depend on how salty your broth was to start with, so you may have to adjust accordingly.)

    Easy Brown Rice Vermicelli Noodles With Fresh Shiitake Mushrooms in a wok, and limes on a plate

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack

  14. To serve: Portion out noodles onto individual plates and top each with a sprinkling of cilantro, plus a wedge of fresh lime, or heap all the noodles onto a large serving platter. Sprinkle with fresh coriander and add lime wedges around the sides and thinly sliced bird's eye chili. If desired, serve with Thai chili sauce on side.

    Easy Brown Rice Vermicelli Noodles With Fresh Shiitake Mushrooms in a bowl, garnished with cilantro and lime

    The Spruce / Cara Cormack