What Is Vermicelli? (Contents, Definition, And More)

What is Vermicelli?

Are you wondering how you can cook vermicelli? Read on to learn more. Long, stranded pasta, vermicelli, comes from durum wheat semolina and eggs. Vermicelli translates as “tiny worms” because its name comes from the Italian word vermi, which means “worms.” 

Although you can find it in packages of fresh durum vermicelli, it is more frequently available in its dried form. The dry variety occasionally omits the egg, although the new variety always contains it.

What is it Made of?

Out of the different ingredients required for creating upma and payasam, the vermicelli, also known as Semiya (in Tamil), Sevaiyyan (Hindi), and Shemai (Bengali), receives a specific mention. It is popular in numerous Indian states and is most for producing a sweet delicacy similar to the kheer. But what is vermicelli made of? 

Vermicelli is an Indian variation of noodles, pasta, or spaghetti. It commonly uses all-purpose flour. Vermicelli is a product of refined wheat. Though it gives energy, a bit of protein, and easy digestion, there aren’t any health benefits. Refined carbs are devoid of any fiber. Hence, it leads to elevated blood sugar levels and insulin increase when ingested. 

Refined carbs undergo absorption and digestion, so they don’t even reach the colon. Usually, the fiber that is not absorbed gets digested by the bacteria in our colon (large intestine) to generate useful components for the body. 

This aids in decreasing inflammation, creating specific vitamins like B and K, and immune regulating substances. But items made of refined flour do not offer these benefits.

What is the Difference Between Vermicelli and Spaghetti?

Comprising egg and durum wheat semolina, vermicelli is a stranded pasta staple of Italian cuisine. Due to the Italian term “vermi,” which means “worms,” vermicelli translates to “little worms.” Dried durum vermicelli is the most frequent form; however, fresh packages are also available. 

The fresh variety is always cooked with eggs, although the dry variety may or may not include them. Spaghetti is pasta that comes in a long, solid, cylindrical shape. It’s a vital component of Italian cuisine. And classic spaghetti is comparable to other forms of pasta in that it comes from durum semolina. 

But you can also create it using several types of flour. You can enrich spaghetti frequently with vitamins and minerals throughout the manufacturing process. It was originally a very lengthy length. But the shorter length earned acceptance in the late half of the twentieth century and is popular now. Today, the most normal spaghetti length is 9.8 to 11.8 inches (25 to 30 centimeters). 

You can eat spaghetti with several spaghetti sauces. When comparing vermicelli with spaghetti, the following are their main distinctions:

• In the country of origin, Italy, vermicelli is thicker than spaghetti.
• When both varieties of pasta are in their dried state, there is yet another distinction to make, and they sell straight strands of spaghetti. On the other hand, vermicelli is a dried block of pasta that mimics classic Chinese noodles.
• Because it is considerably thinner and more delicate than spaghetti, vermicelli typically cooks faster.
• Vermicelli is best paired with a lighter, thinner sauce when serving pasta with sauce. But when it comes to pasta, practically any kind of sauce will do.

Angel Hair Pasta vs. Vermicelli – The Difference

What is the difference between Vermicelli and angel hair pasta? Here are the two; let’s take a keen look at them:

Vermicelli

Any reference to the thinnest pasta is vermicelli. Many people refer to thin pasta as vermicelli, which can understandably confuse when encountering the angel hair variety in cookbooks, television, or online resources. Little worms are the literal translation of the Italian word vermicelli. Several dishes call for this kind of pasta. 

Although many Asian dishes also contain it, Italian cuisine extensively uses it. You may also use Vermicelli in many cold salads and hot pasta dishes. One of the most popular varieties of noodles in the world, this pasta is very adaptable. Vermicelli is the best comfort food because of how thin it is.

Because they are so thin, these noodles can cook quickly. The typical cooking time for these noodles in boiling water is 3 to 5 minutes. Regular pasta, in contrast, can take much longer to reach even the al dente state. This is one of the reasons that many noodle recipes may prefer vermicelli because it cooks quickly and provides a satisfying bite.

These noodles pair extremely well with many different proteins, and you can combine them with various vegetables. Vermicelli noodles are available under different brand names and vary in thickness too. Generally speaking, vermicelli can be anywhere from 0.04 to 0.06 inches (0.102 to 0.15 centimeters) in diameter.

Even though it is not the norm, the diameter of vermicelli in Italy can be as large as 0.09 inches (0.229 centimeters). This is significantly larger than the diameter of standard spaghetti, which can range anywhere from 0.07 to 0.11 inches (0.178 to 0.28 centimeters). 

Regardless of the circumstances, the curvature of these particular noodles most commonly has links with thin pasta.

Angel Hair

As the name suggests, angel hair is also a delicate, thin pasta type. Unlike vermicelli, this noodle comes from durum semolina flour. It’s much thinner than regular noodles and has many uses apart from savory pasta dishes. 

Angel Hair, which also goes by the names capelli d’angelo and capellini, is a type of pasta with a diameter of fewer than 0.03 inches (0.076 centimeters) and cooks incredibly quickly. Recipes for soups, pasta, and even desserts can benefit from this pasta’s versatility. Angel hair appears to be significantly thinner and often has a more delicate texture.

When cooked (about 2 to 3 minutes), this pasta will gain a distinct but delicate bite, firm up, and become easier to work with. You can best serve Angel’s hot, which is why you might only find it in some cold salad recipes. Ideally, the best way to enjoy Angel Hair pasta is with several meat sauces.

Because you can use semolina flour to make this pasta, it has a lot better capacity for absorbing flavors and will also be much simpler to digest (depending on the flour). However, the pasta’s ingredients could differ depending on which brand you choose.

You can find Angel hair around the world, and while it may refer to it as vermicelli, it has quite a distinct look, and if you put the two pasta shapes together, you will easily be able to tell them apart with just their size.

This pasta is great in soups, and you can use it in dessert recipes. For example, in Asian cuisine, it is usually paired with sweetened milk and dry fruits. You can serve it hot and easily add it to several Chinese dishes.

Is Vermicelli Good for Weight Loss?

Vermicelli is effective for weight loss, but only if you pick the appropriate brand. Vermicelli is effective in helping people lose weight for several reasons. Additionally, several factors make weight loss inappropriate.

You can use vermicelli mostly for weight loss because it contains extremely little sodium, no cholesterol, and no fat. You can enjoy this food and lose weight more effectively with this combination. But be careful to add only a few carbohydrates additions.

The primary factor is that vermicelli is a fat-free food. Yes, it indicates that you won’t gain weight. However, being lean does not address the question, “Is vermicelli effective for weight loss? Because carbs and cholesterol can both be harmful. Since vermicelli has no cholesterol, it is a better choice for someone trying to lose weight.

We are all aware that you cannot obtain energy without carbohydrates. To produce energy, our body requires carbs. Every time we engage in fat-burning exercise, we need a lot of energy. Here, this carbohydrate provides our body with immediate energy. More specifically, this cuisine balances supplying calories and limiting fat. 

Although there aren’t many calories in a serving of vermicelli, there are times when you can find it to be high in calories, which is bad for weight reduction. 

You can use Seviyan can with various foods to ensure you consume all the nutrients. Making upma, pakode, and other foods at home with vermicelli is an option. However, semiya upma recipes are much-liked in Bangladesh, India, and other nations.

Quick Facts About the Pasta Type

1. Mexican fideos, Spanish for “noodles,” resemble Italian vermicelli in shape and component (both made of wheat flour) but are chopped shorter before packaging and frequently consumed in soups or combined with light roast rice in oil for a more flavorful dish.
2. Because they come from rice flour, you may also refer to them as rice noodles (and rice sticks are the same ingredient, taste-wise, but broader and flatter in shape).
3. Asian vermicelli, known as cellophane or glass noodles, comes from various components, including water, mung bean starch, potato starch, sweet potato starch, tapioca starch, and canna starch. Once cooked, they no longer have a white appearance. Compared to rice vermicelli, their texture is softer and denser.
4. Even the origin of the vermicelli myth is not entirely clear. As suggested by the Tuscan name, Italy, or as numerous accounts of Marco Polo would have it, China. I can only speculate that the vermicelli entered India through trade with the Arab realm, which for many centuries connected the West and East and, as a result, absorbed a wide variety of gastronomic delights.

How to Cook Vermicelli

Vermicelli is not all made equal, so the time it takes to cook will vary depending on your chosen brand. You can use the bowl you soaked the noodles in as your serving bowl instead of dirtying up a pot. Here are some easy cooking instructions for making vermicelli:

• We first get a bowl big enough to hold the noodles, fill it with boiling water, and then soak the noodles in it. Be sure to completely cover the noodles with water and use a lid to seal them in the heat (We use plates as lids). Please put it in the water for however long the packaging instructs.
• After that, we remove the water using a sieve or strainer. You can either use the noodles as-is or leave them in the bowl or strainer they were soaking in; make sure the bottom of the dish is dry to avoid sogginess.
• If you aren’t ready to use it, cover it with a towel or piece of cloth to keep it warm or stop it from drying.
• When the noodles are soft, you can use them by loosening them with your fingers. It ought to have a pleasant spring to it. You can consume it raw or cook it in a pan to make fried vermicelli. You may have noticed hard portions when the noodle folds when it is dry. Since these don’t easily soften with only soaking, you may take off these rough, hard bits and throw them away.

The Different Types of Vermicelli

Italian Vermicelli

The only thing that distinguishes one Italian noodle from another is the degree of thinness. Italian noodles creation, as you might assume, from durum wheat flour, and you can use it like any other pasta, particularly spaghetti, spaghettini, or angel hair. 

You may easily make your own homemade Rice-A-Roni to reduce the sodium and switch up the flavors (pro tip: this kind of vermicelli is also what appears with rice in that famous boxed “San Francisco Treat”).

Asian Vermicelli

Asian Vermicelli noodles are popular by a variety of names based on the cuisine and location they are from. Still, English-speaking areas have given them that name because of their resemblance to Italian vermicelli, which is long and thin. 

Suitable Substitutes

A few options are available if you’re looking for a substitute for vermicelli. Here are the five best replacements for vermicelli:

Fedelini

The production of pasta, known as fedelini, is from eggs and durum wheat flour. You can add a length of thin pasta to soups and casseroles. You can obtain Fedelini in various additional sizes outside the typical two-inch pieces cut from it. Fedelini is a dish frequently linked with Italian food, but it is also widespread in Greece, Turkey, and the Middle East.

You can use Fedelini with various meat- and vegetable-based sauces, in addition to using it in soups and casseroles. Try serving fedelini with tomato sauce and grated cheese for a quick and flavorful meal. 

Add meat or veggies to the sauce to make a more sophisticated dish. When making your next stir-fry, consider substituting fedelini for spaghetti if you want to try something different.

Spaghetti

Why wouldn’t you adore spaghetti? This traditional Italian meal is easy to prepare but tastes amazing. It is a filling dish you can serve any time of day and only requires simple ingredients, including pasta, tomato sauce, and seasonings. Additionally, there are several spaghetti varieties available now due to their popularity.

There is a spaghetti meal for everyone, whether you want it with meatballs, vegetables, or seafood. So the next time you search for a quick and delectable lunch, keep this traditional favorite in mind. Spaghetti is a simple, delectable, and reliable option.

Capellini

Capellini is a type of pasta fashioned from thin dough strands. It is also sometimes referred to as angel hair pasta or capellini noodles. Soups, salads, and pasta sauces are just a few of the many foods for which capellini is a popular choice. You can serve the noodles frequently as a side dish to dishes with meat or fish.

Although some recipes also call for eggs, durum wheat flour and water are typically the only ingredients in capellini. You can extrude the dough through a die to make fine strands of pasta. 

The Capelli is first trimmed to size, dried, and commonly sold in bundles. You should cook Capelli to be soft yet firm to the biting. You can toss them with olive oil and Parmesan cheese or serve them with various sauces and garnishes.

Linguine

Pasta, known as linguine, comes from the Liguria area of Italy. It is typically prepared with seafood using durum wheat flour and water. Given the shape of the pasta, it makes sense that the word “linguine” comes from the Latin word for tongue.

Linguine has a flat, oval form and is wider than spaghetti but not as wide as fettuccine. Linguine is a good choice for both light and heavy sauces due to its size and shape. You can season it with garlic and olive oil or use it for heavier meals like carbonara or pesto. 

Linguine is a tasty and adaptable pasta that is sure to please any pasta enthusiast, no matter how you choose to eat it.

Bucatini

Bucatini is pasta with a hollow middle that resembles spaghetti. Although some recipes also call for eggs, durum wheat flour and water are the typical ingredients. Slice the dough to the required length after extruding it through a die to generate the hollow shape.

Although you can also use pasta salad or a frittata in other meals, you can traditionally serve Bucatini with a tomato-based sauce. It is a versatile choice for any meal because it goes well with red and white wine.

Can You Use the Different Varieties Interchangeably?

If all you have is a box of Italian vermicelli, you can use it in place of rice vermicelli, fideos, or falooda sev in an emergency. You will undoubtedly notice a tiny difference in flavor and texture, but since most of these meals are already very saucy and seasoned, it won’t matter as much.

Follow the directions on the package because wheat vermicelli takes longer to cook than rice or cellophane noodles, which will become mushy after only a short amount of time in the pot. Although its texture is softer, you can use cellophane or glass noodles instead of rice vermicelli if you can only locate them.

Final Verdict

You can make your vermicelli whichever many servings you like and start eating wherever you choose. You can find all the information you need to get started in this post.