For this salad, I have use mung bean vermicelli, also called bean thread noodles or cellophane or glass noodles because of their transparent appearance. They are made from mung bean flour and when cooked, they are clear like glass. The noodles are fine, wiry and tough and come in bundles. Be warned; when you open the package, they tend to spring all over the place! They appear white in the package. However, when soaked in water and then cooked they become translucent or glass-like. They have a pleasant, slightly gelatinous, chewy texture and they absorb flavours beautifully. They are sometimes confused with rice vermicelli. Although interchangeable in some recipes I prefer to use mung bean vermicelli in this salad.  If you are not sure whether they are rice or mung bean noodles, just check the ingredients. The noodles are readily available in supermarkets.