Don’t add the noodles until the water has come to a rolling boil, or they’ll end up getting soggy and mushy. Add the noodles gently so you don’t splash hot water back onto your skin.
Toss a noodle against the wall. If the noodle sticks, it’s ready. Look at the ends of the noodles. If they’re white compared to the rest of the noodle, they need more time. Hold the noodles up with a fork. If they swing easily back and forth, they’re done.
If you’re using fresh, rather than dried, noodles, you can skip the soaking step.
Rice stick-style noodles should boil for about 5 minutes. Vermicelli-style rice noodles will need to boil for only about 2 minutes.
