A classic dim sum dish, these steamed shrimp rice noodle rolls are thin and tender, filled with plump prawns, and drizzled with a sweet umami soy

What are rice noodle rolls?

Cheung Fun (肠粉), aka steamed rice noodle rolls, is a classic Cantonese dish that describes any dish that is made from rolled rice flour sheets. This can range from rolls with no filling, shrimp, minced beef, dried shrimp, char siu, or even you tiao (Chinese doughnuts)!

They are a staple at any dim sum or yum cha spot, but in Canton and Hong Kong they are also often found in small street cafes and stalls. They make a delicious breakfast or snack.

This dish I’m teaching you today is one of my favorites, shrimp rice noodle rolls. The rice noodle sheet is wrapped around plump shrimp and doused in a signature sweet soy sauce. You can’t go wrong with this.

Ingredients

Rice Rolls

• Rice flour: Make sure you use fine ground rice flour as this will make a big difference in the final result. I recommend buying rice flour from Asian supermarkets as it is much finer than its Western counterparts. You do not want to use glutinous rice flour, make sure you double-check!
• Cornstarch: Aka cornflour, cornflour gives the cheung fun a softer texture and makes it more translucent
• Potato starch: This also plays the same role as cornstarch, but it gives the cheung fun a more translucent appearance than the cornstarch. A lot of recipes will also use wheat starch, if you can find it at your local Asian grocery store you should try using it as it results in the best texture
• Water: Water brings this batter together and adds moisture!
• Salt: Salt just adds a little seasoning to the batter
• Oil: Oil helps to tenderize the rice rolls, feel free to use any kind of neutral-flavored oil

Sauce

• Light soy sauce: This is the base of the sauce, giving it flavor and saltiness
• YumYum: This is my own blend of MSG, you can purchase it here if you don’t have any, or use MSG instead
• Sugar: This adds sweetness to the sauce and balances out the soy sauce
• Sesame oil: Gives the sauce fragrance and nuttiness

Assembly

• Shrimp: Aka prawns, make sure they’re deveined and peeled! I use frozen ones but feel free to use fresh ones too.

How to steam rice noodle rolls without a machine

I have a cheung fun maker, but in reality, it’s just a metal box with the ability to steam. To recreate this at home all you need is a small bowl and a plate. Create the setup like below and you can pour your cheung fun batter into the plate to steam and roll up!

If you want to have an easier shape to roll you can even use a square cake tin or rectangular baking tray.

How to make shrimp rice noodle rolls

1. Combine all the ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl 
2. Mix until well combined and set aside until use
3. Combine the rice flour, cornstarch, potato starch, water, salt and oil in a large jug and whisk until well combined
4. Meanwhile, prepare a large wok/pot or steamer that fits a plate (or a cheung fun maker)
5. Fill the wok/pot/steamer with a couple inches of water
6. Place the plate over a small bowl in the wok/pot, or inside the steamer
7. Close the lid and heat until the water is boiling

1. Uncover and brush the plate with a thin layer of oil
2. Pour the rice roll batter onto the plate, pour just enough to cover the base of the pan in a thin layer, tilting to spread it out more easily

1. On one side of the rice roll place 4 shrimp in a row
2. Cover the lid and steam for 4 minutes, or until cooked through

1. Uncover and using a scraper or spatula carefully roll the rice noodle from the shrimp side
2. Lift it from the pan and place it on your serving plate
3. Repeat with the remaining batter and prawns 

Shrimp Rice Noodle Rolls (Ha Cheung Fun)

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Print Recipe

A classic dim sum dish, these steamed rice rolls are thin and tender, filled with plump prawns and drizzled with a sweet umami soy

• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Shrimp

• 16 Shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 tsp Cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp YumYum, you can purchase it here or use MSG
• Pinch of salt
• 1 tsp Sesame oil 

Rice Rolls

• 1/2 cup Rice flour
• 1/3 cup Cornstarch
• 1 tbsp Potato starch
• 1 1/3 cup Water
• Pinch of salt
• 1/4 tsp Oil

Sauce

• 3 tbsp Soy sauce
• 1 tsp YumYum, or you can purchase it here or use MSG
• 2 tsp Sugar
• 1 tsp Sesame oil

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Instructions

Shrimp

1. Combine all the ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl 
2. Mix until well combined and set aside until use

Rice Rolls

1. Combine the rice flour, cornstarch, potato starch, water, salt and oil in a large jug and whisk until well combined
2. Meanwhile, prepare a large wok/pot or steamer that fits a plate
3. Brush the plate with a thin layer of oil
4. Fill the wok/pot/steamer with a couple inches of water
5. Place the plate over a small bowl in the wok/pot, or inside the steamer
6. Close the lid and heat until the water is boiling
7. Uncover and pour the rice roll batter onto the plate, pour just enough to cover the base of the pan in a thin layer, tilting to spread it out more easily
8. On one side of the rice roll place 4 shrimp in a row
9. Cover the lid and steam for 4 minutes, or until cooked through
10. Uncover and using a scraper or spatula carefully roll the rice noodle from the shrimp side
11. Lift it from the pan and place it on your serving plate
12. Repeat with the remaining batter and prawns 

Sauce

1. Combine the soy sauce, yum yum, sugar, and sesame oil in a jug or small bowl
2. Heat it in the steamer for a few minutes, or in the microwave until warm
3. Pour over the rice rolls to serve

• Author: Vincent Yeow Lim
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Category: Dim Sum
• Method: Intermediate
• Cuisine: Cantonese

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 Serving
• Calories: 260
• Sugar: 2.8 g
• Sodium: 1045.6 mg
• Fat: 3.5 g
• Carbohydrates: 31.8 g
• Protein: 24.9 g
• Cholesterol: 182.5 mg