How many bowls of rice is one bowl of phở? The starch story in bún, phở and mì

What is each noodle made of?

Before we count, let's see where each familiar noodle comes from:

• Bún: plain rice flour, pressed through a mold into round strands and then boiled. Traditional bún is made from batter left to ferment for a few days, giving it a slight tang and a chewier strand.
• Bánh phở, hủ tiếu, bánh canh gạo (flat phở noodles, clear rice noodles, thick rice noodles): rice batter spread thin, steamed, then cut into strands.
• Mì: wheat flour and water, sometimes with egg. Chewy yellow egg noodles usually get a little lye water (an alkaline solution) too.
• Miến (glass noodles): starch from canna root or mung beans. Clear, chewy strands that are almost pure starch.
• Instant noodles: noodles that have been flash-fried to dry them out, so they carry quite a bit of extra oil.

To keep bún and phở noodles from falling apart, makers usually choose rice high in amylose, the kind of starch that keeps rice grains separate and noodles firm. Soft, sticky rice like glutinous rice can't make bún.

So how many bowls of rice is one bowl of phở?

According to the Vietnamese Food Composition Table, per 100g:

At first glance, bún is even a bit "lighter" than rice, because the strands hold a lot of water. Phở noodles are about the same as rice, even slightly higher.

What really decides it is how many noodles are in the bowl. A shop bowl of phở usually has about 150 to 250g of noodles, depending on the shop and the size. That's roughly 50 to 80g of carbs.

A medium bowl of rice (about 150g) has around 42g of carbs. So one bowl of phở can equal one and a half to two bowls of rice, from the noodles alone.

This isn't about fearing phở. It's just about knowing how much you're eating, like checking the price before you order.

Pasta digests slower than bread: the secret of the tightly packed strand

Here's a fun fact.

Pasta and bread are made from the same wheat flour. But pasta usually has a noticeably lower glycemic index (GI) than bread.

The reason is structure. Bread is fluffy and full of air pockets, so enzymes slip in easily. Pasta strands are tightly packed, with the starch wrapped in a protein network. Enzymes have to "nibble" from the outside in, so the starch is released more slowly.

Cook pasta al dente, still a little firm at the core, and it's slower still. Overcook it until the strands swell and soften, and it digests faster.

Rice noodles like bún and phở follow a similar rule: firm, springy strands usually digest more slowly than soft, mushy ones.

Don't forget the "hidden" part in the broth pot

The starch is in the noodles. But a bowl of bún or phở has two more things worth noticing:

• Sugar in the broth. Many shops season the broth with rock sugar or white sugar for a rounder sweetness. You can't see it, but it's dissolved in every spoonful.
• Salt and fish sauce. A rich broth is usually salty. Drain the bowl and you drink most of that salt.

The World Health Organization (WHO) advises adults to eat less than 5g of salt a day, about one teaspoon. One bowl of well-seasoned noodle soup may already take up a big share of that.

Five tips for ordering a gentler noodle soup breakfast

1. Ask for "fewer noodles, more meat". Most shops are happy to do it, and you still feel full thanks to the protein.
2. Ask for extra greens. Bean sprouts, fresh herbs, shaved water spinach, banana blossom. Eat a few bites of greens first.
3. Add an egg or meat if the bowl is light on protein. One poached egg is enough to change the whole bowl.
4. Taste before adding hoisin or chili sauce. Hoisin has quite a lot of sugar.
5. No need to drain the broth. Leaving half the broth behind cuts out a good amount of salt.

A bowl of phở with plenty of greens, enough meat and a moderate amount of noodles is still a great breakfast. No need to switch dishes, just adjust the proportions.

Frequently asked questions