Ingredients of Cao Lau Noodles & How to Make

Cao Lau Noodle Sticks

The noodle stick (also called ‘cao lau noodle’) is the first thing that makes Cao Lau noodles unique and not easy to duplicate. Today, there are a few families in Hoi An still producing this noodle. Each day, they make around 300 kilograms of fresh noodles for markets and restaurants in the city.

To make cao lau noodle sticks, local artisans need to do 8 steps, except buying ingredients. The first step is soaking the rice in fresh water brought from Ba Le Well, (a 1000-years-old well inside the Hoi An Old Town) with the ash of three plants (willow, amaranth & sesame). This step takes up to 3 hours. In the past, people would buy the wood ash from the Cham Islands, but now not too much because the archipelago’s forest has become a protection area already.

The second step to make cao lau noodle sticks is grinding the soaked rice into the milk. Some decades ago, local people had to use the stone grinder by hand (that’s why this work was for men). Now, automatic machines replace it. When all of the rice becomes the milk, people will keep it in the pot for a while, to let the sediments settle below.

The third step is ‘thickening the rice milk’. Firstly, people will place the rice milk pot on fire, and then use 2 big bamboo sticks to stir the milk around non-stop. Because this work requires strong hands, therefore the men always do it. He just stops stirring when the milk becomes thick. The whole step takes 15 to 17 minutes. Nowadays, to save time, local artisans may skip the ‘rice soaking step’, and mix the ash water directly with the rice milk (and then stir). Food safety and taste still remains.

The fourth step is using bamboo sticks to take the rice dough, to place on the banana leaf (on a round bamboo tray). After that, it’s needed to steam it and it takes local artisans 15-17 minutes.

When the dough is fully cooked, people will place it on a flat board, and then knead it by hand. Once again, make members of the family do this work. He just stops when the dough becomes flexible and soft evenly.

The next step is rolling the dough into a thin piece with a size: 80 cm x 20-25 cm. Then, people will use a big knife to cut it into noodles, place them on a metal tray, and steam for about 10 minutes. From now, the noodles are eatable and can be sold at the market or cooked at restaurants.

Compared to other local noodles, Cao Lau noodles are more chewy (than Mi Quang noodles, Pho noodles) and can be eatable for many days, without fridge or preservatives. To see or buy fresh cao lau noodles, visitors can to Hoi An Central Market, Tan An Market or Ba Le Market.

During the dry season (February to end of August), local people sun dry fresh cao lau noodles, to make it dry again. The reason is that they can preserve dried noodles in their house, and then use them for cooking in the rainy season later (from September to January). On heavy rain days or flood days, markets may be closed, these dried noodles are very helpful.

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