These delicious "glass" noodles actually change color when you add certain ingredients. They're great for a weekend project with your kids, or to make for a party! I've made them with my after-school class and for small groups. You've gotta try them.
30 min
2 servings

Ingredients

  • One package Saifun or bean thread noodles (aka glass noodles – stores such as Safeway have these in the Asian food section)
  • ½ red cabbage, sliced or cut into chunks
  • Lemon or lime juice
  • Baking soda

Instructions

  1. Cook the red cabbage in a medium saucepan with water to cover for five minutes.
  2. Turn off the burner, and add the noodles. Soak them for five to ten minutes, and watch the color get absorbed into the noodles.
  3. Remove noodles with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl.
  4. Squeeze a lemon or lime onto the noodles, and watch them turn pink! They can now be used in a salad, or with a sauce such as satay, or added to a stir-fry veggie dish. They are good with the cooked cabbage, too! Try adding cooked chicken, snow pea pods, green onions and maybe chopped peanuts.
  5. To turn noodles blue: (this will make them inedible): Add a shake or two of baking soda to the colored noodles. Watch the color change – it’s chemistry in action!

More Information

Red/purple veggies like cabbage have a pigment in them called anthocyanin. This pigment reacts, and changes color, when something acidic is added. It changes to a different color when something alkaline (such as baking soda) is added.

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