Lai fun

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Lai fun is a short, thick Chinese noodle usually served in broth. It comes from the Pearl River Delta in southern China (Guangzhou area) and is common in Chinatowns around the world. The noodles are made mainly from rice flour and sometimes tapioca starch, and they can be short or long. In Vietnam, a similar thick noodle is called bánh canh. The name lai fun comes from Cantonese: lai means “swift currents” and fun means “noodles made from starch.” Lai fun is believed to have started from drying rice and turning it into flour, then cooking it in boiling water. In Hong Kong, lai fun has a bouncier texture and is often served with roast goose, which adds deeper flavor to the broth. A quick way to tell lai fun from the similar silver needle noodles is that lai fun ends are cut straight, not tapered.