One-pot rice cooker vermicelli with yong tau foo: flavourful, fast, and perfect for leftovers. Try this hands-off recipe for a cozy, no-fuss meal!

Quick FYI: you CAN cook noodles in the rice cooker too! I recently had some leftover stock (and sauce) from a hot pot dinner, so I decided to whip up this easy rice cooker vermicelli. The result? A comforting, flavorful meal that feels like it came from a hawker stall but only required one pot and minimal effort. If you love quick, no-fuss meals, this is the dish for you!
What is Rice Cooker Vermicelli with Yong Tau Foo?
This dish combines silky vermicelli noodles with savory broth and a variety of yong tau foo (a medley of fish balls, stuffed tofu, and other flavorful goodies). It’s a warm and hearty bowl that’s perfect for any time of the day. The magic happens entirely in the rice cooker, so you get to skip the stovetop babysitting!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- One-Pot Wonder: Everything, from the broth to the noodles, cooks in the rice cooker—easy prep, easy cleanup!
- Customizable: Use your favorite yong tau foo items, adjust the spice level, or add extra veggies.
- Fast and Hands-Off: Perfect for busy days when you don’t want to hover over the stove.
- Budget-Friendly: Made with simple, pantry-friendly ingredients.
- Great for Leftovers: A perfect way to use up leftover broth or stock, just like I did!
Key Ingredients for Rice Cooker Vermicelli
Stock
The stock is the foundation of this dish and brings all the flavors together. You can use any kind of stock you have on hand—it’s incredibly flexible!
For this recipe, I added dried anchovies, garlic, ginger, and soy sauce to elevate the depth of flavour with minimal effort. However, if you’re feeling extra lazy, you can skip these add-ins and just use plain stock.
I generally do not like the cooked dried anchovies – they lose flavour and are a gummy, chewy texture. To easily remove from the pot, I used a soup ball strainer. Alternatively, soup bags work too.
Got leftover hot pot broth? That’s an amazing shortcut—it adds even more flavor without any extra work!
Yong Tau Foo
Yong tau foo is such a convenient option, especially here in Singapore where ready-made mixes are easy to find. They typically include items like fish balls, taupok (fried tofu puffs), crab sticks, or other stuffed tofu variations.
If you don’t have access to pre-made yong tau foo, you can easily mix and match ingredients like fish balls, crab sticks, or even quick-cooking proteins. Think sliced chicken, thinly sliced beef, tofu, or fish fillets—the possibilities are endless and totally customizable to your taste.
Vermicelli Noodles
These thin, quick-cooking rice noodles are a perfect choice for this dish. They absorb all the delicious flavours of the broth, making each bite incredibly satisfying.
The best part? There’s no need to pre-soak dried vermicelli noodles—just toss them into the pot, and they’ll cook beautifully in the broth.
Vegetables
Vegetables are a must for balancing the dish, and you can really use whatever you have in the fridge.
Personally, I love using chopped cabbage because it adds a refreshing crunch and natural sweetness to balance out the savoury flavours of the stock.
The key is timing:
Cooking Times
- Hard Vegetables (e.g., broccoli, mushrooms): Add at the beginning with yong tau foo.
- Medium Vegetables (e.g., cabbage, bok choy, green beans): Add with the vermicelli noodles.
- Leafy Vegetables (e.g., spinach): Add 1-2 minutes before the end to retain their vibrant green color.
Key Equipment

Your rice cooker is a game-changer for this recipe. As with this recipe and all other rice cooker recipes on the blog – ANY rice cooker will work, note that the cook times may vary slightly.
Of course, I love my ultra-reliable Zojirushi:
- Zojirushi NS-ZAQ10 Micom Fuzzy Logic (the exact one I purchased – this is the same as the model above; it’s labelled differently in Singapore/Southeast Asia. This is a ‘Made in Japan’ model.)
Note: The two models are the same, the names differ based on where they’re sold.
Stovetop vs. Rice Cooker
I just KNOW someone is going to ask “but I can make this over the stovetop in 10 minutes?”
Yes, but sometimes I just don’t want to fuss with watching over the stove, and the heat from the fire.
While this dish can be made on the stovetop, the rice cooker offers a hands-off approach that’s perfect for multitaskers. On the stovetop, you’ll need to simmer the stock and yong tau foo over medium heat, stir in the noodles and cabbage, and keep a close eye to prevent overcooking.
In a rice cooker, you can set it and forget it—no stirring, no stress!
Want to make this over the stovetop? Do Steps 1 + 2 in a pot over medium heat. Once boiling, add everything else and cook for about 4 to 5 minutes, or until vermicelli noodles are cooked.
Key Steps to Making It
1. Prepare the Stock

- In the rice cooker pot, combine chicken stock, dried anchovies, ginger paste, and garlic paste. Option to store the dried anchovies in a spice bag for easier removal.
- Stir to mix.
2. Cook the Yong Tau Foo

- Add mixed yong tau foo or ingredients that take longer to cook into the stock. Close the lid and set the rice cooker to the regular “Cook” setting.
- Time it for about 15 minutes.
- The rice cooker will need time to heat up initially, but by the 15-minute mark, it should be simmering, and steam will be escaping. Yong tau foo does not require long cook times, if using any other types of protein, make sure to adjust timing accordingly. It’s perfectly fine to open the lid to check, and closing it back to continue cooking.
Note that the timing will change according to rice cooker type and brand.
3. Add Vermicelli and Cabbage

- Carefully open the lid and add the dried vermicelli noodles and chopped cabbage into the pot.
- Stir gently to submerge them in the hot stock.
- Close the lid and cook for an additional 8–10 minutes, or until the vermicelli is tender and cooked through.
4. Serve

- Ladle the soup, yong tau foo, and noodles into a bowl.
- Serve immediately with your sauce of choice, or garnish with spring onions.
How to Serve
This dish is best enjoyed fresh and hot!
Serve it as-is for a light meal, or pair it with a side of sauce for an extra punch of flavour. These are my sauces of choice:
Spring onions and cilantro add freshness to the dish, and a squeeze of lime or a sprinkle of fried shallots elevates the dish beautifully!
Tips and Tricks
- Timing is Everything: Cooking times vary based on your rice cooker model. The first round of cooking (heating up the stock and yong tau foo) takes about 15 minutes, but once the rice cooker is hot, the noodles and cabbage cook in 8–10 minutes.
- Prevent Overcooking: Always add the vermicelli and cabbage last to keep the noodles from becoming mushy.
- Use What You Have: This recipe is perfect for using up leftover stock or yong tau foo ingredients.
- Boost the Flavor: If you like a stronger broth, consider adding a splash of fish sauce, sesame oil, or soy sauce during cooking.
Storing and Reheating Instructions
Storing
Let the dish cool completely before transferring it to an airtight container. Store in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Reheating
To reheat, transfer the noodles and broth to a pot and warm gently on the stovetop. Alternatively, microwave in a heatproof bowl for 1–2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add a splash of water or stock if the noodles have absorbed too much liquid.
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