How to Make Sen Yai Noodles (Thai Wide Rice Noodles)

Set up your steaming pot with the trivet in the bottom for the pan to sit on. Add water and heat on medium-high heat, and wait until the water boils. While waiting, let's get the batter ready.

Combine rice flour, tapioca flour, warm water, and a dash of salt in a medium mixing bowl. Slowly pour the warm water into the flour mixture and whisk to avoid lumps. Mix until you have a creamy milky mixture that looks much like milk and has the consistency of milk.

Grease the bottom and side of your baking pans well with oil and a cooking brush. Use a non-stick pan with a completely flat bottom. I find pans with decals or brand logos embedded in the bottom of the pan difficult to work with. The edging can sometimes tear the noodle sheets. You want smooth-bottomed pans.

Before scooping the batter into the greased pan, ALWAYS do a quick whisk or stir to wake up the flour that's been settled to the bottom to make sure you have a smooth and consistent batter. Scoop a small amount into your pan. I used about 1/4 cup for my pans. Gently roll the batter around to have all the surfaces covered. You might have some patchy spots, but it's ok. Try lightly moving the batter around if the pan is not too hot.

Place the pan with the batter in the steamer. Make sure the bottom is flat or you will get uneven-sized and partially over and undercooked noodles. Steam the batter until it forms a thin, milky sheet. Mine took almost exactly 2.5 minutes for each batch. Cover with lid and wait. Setting a timer helps so much!

Once your timer goes off, carefully remove the hot pans from the steamer, place them on a heat-safe surface, and wait for them to cool off a little.

Grease the second pan, repeat steps #3-5, and keep going until your batter is gone.

While the 2nd pan is steaming, remove your cooked noodles from the 1st pan. Have a cutting board, platter, or counter space ready to place your noodles flat for cutting.  Rub a thin layer of oil on those surfaces to prevent the noodles from sticking. * save all your ripped sheets (Image below), and don't throw them! They are still usable. Save them for stir-frying, or spread chili oil and enjoy them fresh!

Before peeling off the noodles sheets from the pan, brush a light oil coating on top of the cooked noodles still in the pan to help remove the sheets. Then, use a small spatula (dip the edge with a little oil if you'd like) and sweep it around the entire outer edge of the pan to loosen up the sheet. Then, carefully lift the sides of the sheet of noodles from the pan until it comes off fully. Place it on a greased cutting board or cooking surface.

Cut the noodles into any size you prefer! That's it! You did it! Your homemade fresh flat noodles are ready for your recipes. See below for ideas for rice noodle recipes. That's it!