Difference between sticky Rice noodles and glutinous rice flour
Release time : 03/13/2026 09:30:04
Both glutinous rice flour and sticky rice flour are types of rice flour, but they are derived from different types of rice.
When you pick up sticky rice flour and squeeze it with your thumb and index finger, the authentic sticky rice flour will not feel like grains at all. Its texture is smooth and delicate.
The viscosity of glutinous rice flour is much higher than that of sticky rice flour.
Both glutinous rice flour and sticky rice flour are types of rice flour, but they are derived from different types of rice.
Glutinous rice flour is made from the seeds (rice) of the grass family plant Oryza sativa, while glutinous rice flour is produced from the rice.
When you pick up the sticky rice flour, and rub it with your thumb and index finger, you'll feel that the pure sticky rice flour is completely devoid of any grainy sensation. Its texture is relatively smooth and delicate.
Rice flour is neutral, sweet in taste, tonic and nutritious, strengthening the spleen and stomach, benefiting the kidney, harmonizing the five organs, promoting blood circulation, enhancing hearing and vision, relieving irritability, quenching thirst, and preventing diarrhea. It is a preferred ingredient for making snacks, including Luobo cakes, taro cakes, and sticky rice dumplings.
Glutinous rice flour is sticky, and in the north it is called jiang mian or sticky rice flour. It is suitable for making soup dumplings, strip-shaped cakes, Dong Da Lai, sugar year cakes, and oil fried Chinese snacks, etc.
The viscosity of glutinous rice flour is much higher than that of sticky rice flour. Typically, the glutinous rice flour sold in the market is raw glutinous rice flour.
Rice starch is derived from the seeds of rice (rice), which are ground into flour. It is also known as "big rice flour" or "japonica rice flour," and is a key ingredient in many foods. It is the lowest-amylose variety among all types of rice, offering unique properties that cannot be substituted by glutinous rice flour.
Rice flour is fine and smooth, not gritty or hard to rub against.
So people often make snacks with them, such as sweet potato cakes, taro cakes, and glutinous rice balls.
Glutinous rice flour is a kind of food that has a mild nature. It tastes sweet, nourishes the middle and augments vitality, strengthens the spleen and stomach, benefits the essence and fortifies the will. It harmonizes the five organs, promotes blood circulation, clears the ears and eyes, relieves irritability, quenches thirst, stops diarrhea.
Generally suitable for all people, is particularly beneficial for those with weak constitutions, individuals with high fevers, those recovering from illnesses, postpartum women, the elderly, and infants whose digestive capacities have weakened. It can be prepared into a thin porridge for nourishment and cultivation.
People typically use them to make food like radish cake.
When purchasing sticky rice flour, it is important to note that true sticky rice flour is not white but slightly greyish-white. Do not buy the white ones.
Glutinous rice flour can be used to make various types of desserts. Below, Mama.com will introduce the making process of a classic snack.
Sugarless slack.
Ingredients: Glutinous rice flour, glutinous rice powder, peanuts, sesame, coconut flakes, brown sugar Method: 1. Place the peanut kernels in a flat pan and add a small amount of oil and stir-fry on low heat until they slightly turn golden. Once the peanuts start to turn golden, add the white sesame seeds and stir-fry until they also take on a golden hue. Turn off the heat and let them cool. 2. Use a grinder to crush the peanuts into powder (remove the skin from the peanuts if necessary). If you don't have a grinder, you can chop them by hand. 3. Gradually add 50g of glutinous rice flour and glutinous rice powder to a clean bowl. 4. Mix with cold water, 50g, to form a soft but firm dough. 5. Evenly divide the dough into four parts and knead them into round balls. 6. Pour an appropriate amount of brown sugar into a pot and add 25g of water. 7. Cook over low heat until it becomes a sticky syrup.
Take another pot and boil the dumplings. After cooking, put them in a sugar syrup pot and simmer on low heat for two minutes. Finally, sprinkle with coconut shreds, peanuts, and sesame seeds, then drizzle with sugar syrup.
Ingredients: 100 grams of sticky rice flour, 30 grams of cornstarch, 10 grams of tapioca starch, a little salt, an appropriate amount of vegetable oil, 200 grams of shrimp, appropriate amounts of pepper powder, a small amount of salt, appropriate amounts of cooking wine, a few green onions, ginger and garlic slices, a pinch of white pepper, and a few sprigs of green coriander. Method: 1. Shrimp are marinated with a small amount of salt, pepper powder, minced ginger, and garlic for about half an hour. 2. Mix 100 grams of sticky rice flour, 30 grams of cornstarch, 10 grams of tapioca starch, and a little salt. Add an appropriate amount of water to achieve a smooth batter that is not grainy. Allow the mixture to stand for 20 minutes. 3. Take a flat baking pan and brush it with a thin layer of oil (I used an 8-inch pizza pan). Add a tablespoon of the prepared batter. 4. Turn the pan to ensure the batter coats the bottom evenly. The less batter you add, the thinner your crepe will be. 5. Boil water in a pot and place the pan containing the batter into it. Steam the crepe for 2 minutes. 6. When it's steamed, it should rise slightly. 7. Remove from the heat and let it cool before gently peeling off the crepe. 8. Place the seasoned shrimp on top of the crepe, sprinkle with some chopped green onions. 9. Roll the crepe up tightly. 10. Arrange the rolled crepes in the pan and steam for another 3 minutes. 11. Once cooked, slice them into sections and garnish with tenderly blanched green coriander sprigs. 12. Drizzle with a sauce made from soy sauce and sesame oil to serve. While sticky rice flour can be substituted for other types of flour, it is commonly used in making sweet rice cakes and other delicacies.
However, if you encounter a situation where you can't get sticky rice powder, and need it, what can you substitute for it? Generally speaking, you can use cake flour as a substitute.
Ganfen refers to cooked glutinous rice flour, specifically the glutinous rice flour that has been dried and roasted to a mature state.
This type of flour is very similar to sticky rice flour.
When making sweet potato cakes, you could consider using cake powder instead.
If you're making ice cakes and don't have tapioca flour, you can opt to use a ready-made ice cake powder instead.
Many may believe that glutinous flour is the best choice, but there is a significant difference in its stickiness compared to glutinous rice flour. It's not always possible to replace glutinous flour with it for all purposes.
However, when making sticky foods like rice cakes, you can use glutinous rice flour instead.
When other different situations arise, the material to replace tapioca powder should be chosen based on what exactly needs to be made.
*This text contains medical information for reference only.
In case of discomfort, it is recommended to seek medical attention immediately. The diagnosis and treatment are based on the examinations conducted by a face-to-face physician.