Asian Starch and Rice Noodles

All the pastas we’ve looked at so far are held together by the gluten proteins of wheat flour. Starch and rice noodles contain no gluten whatsoever. Starch noodles in particular are a remarkable, even startling invention: unlike all other noodles, they’re translucent. They’re often called glass or cellophane noodles, and in Japan are given the lovely name harusame, “spring rain” noodles.