Korean rice paper, more generally known as edible rice paper, is a common ingredient in South-East Asian cuisine and has many uses. The edible paper is pretty simple to make and doesn’t require much time. In this article, you’ll be learning all about the cooking ingredient and how to make them. Also included is a Shrimp Rice Paper Rolls recipe, a simple dish you can make at home.
Rice paper is made from rice straw or rice flour. South-East Asian countries use edible paper for various purposes. Aside from being used in Korean, Thai, Chinese, and Vietnamese cuisine, it can also be used in arts and crafts (such as cigarette paper and lampshades). The process of making rice paper that’s used in cooking is different from the one used in making crafts. The edible rice paper is procured from rice flour, while rice straw is used to make the other type of rice paper.
Making Edible Rice Paper
Items Required
- one cup of rice flour
- water
- rolling pin
- a bowl
- a large stockpot
- cheesecloth
- quilting hoop
- cooling rack
Instructions
- Add one cup of rice flour to the bowl. Slowly add the water and mix thoroughly, making sure that the mixture isn’t lumpy. Add just enough water until you achieve a smooth paste that’s easy to pour-over.
- Fill half of the stockpot with water and allow it to boil.
- Get the cheesecloth and put it into the quilting hoop. Ensure that the size of the quilting hoop is larger than the lid of the stockpot.
- Carefully set the hoop with the cheesecloth over the stockpot’s rim.
- Slowly pour the rice flour mixture over the cheesecloth and use a spatula to smooth it evenly until it forms a thin layer.
- Put a lid on the stockpot to cover it. Allow the layer of rice flour to steam for three minutes.
- After three minutes, take the lid along with the quilting hoop off. Be careful because both pieces are bound to be extremely hot. Lay the hoop onto the cooling rack.
- Using the rolling pin, roll the steamed rice paper from the hoop onto the pin and then unroll it back onto the cooling rack. Wait for the rice paper to cool for at least 12 hours before using it.
- Following the previous steps, you can create several rice papers until you finish the entire bowl of the rice flour mixture.
Making edible rice paper doesn’t take much time. You’ll get it right and master the technique by repeating it a few times over. If you don’t have cheesecloth and a quilting hoop, you can use a wire screen mesh instead, usually used to cover pots to stop hot oil from splattering—smoothing out a scoop of rice batter onto the screen mesh does its job similar to a cheesecloth.
Uses of Edible Rice Paper
You can use edible rice paper to create different types of rolls and cakes, which you can either stuff with sweet or spicy fillings and fried, baked, or steamed. Sometimes, you can also add tapioca flour to impart a sticky quality to the rice paper. The edible paper is usually sold in stores in the form of thin, circular sheets encased in plastic. Steamed rice papers are a Vietnam breakfast favorite and are typically served with fish sauce, sometimes even filled and rolled up with seafood.
And since you now have a basic knowledge about rice papers, how about making some spring rolls you can serve as a delicious appetizer? This simple rice paper dish doesn’t take much time to create.
How to Make Shrimp Rice Paper Rolls
Ingredients
- 12 circular sheets of rice papers
- one cup of chopped shrimp
- one cup each of green pepper, carrot, and shredded cabbage
- two tablespoons each of chopped cilantro and leaves
Instructions
- Take a sheet of edible rice paper and soak it in hot water for no more than ten seconds. Dipping makes the rice paper soft and pliable. Gently lay it on a cloth.
- Combine the shrimp and all the vegetables.
- Place two tablespoons of the shrimp and vegetable mixture on the lower end of the rice paper. Gently fold the lower end of the sheet over the filling. Fold from the two sides and continue rolling until you wrap it completely.
- Wrap all of the 12 rice paper sheets into identical rolls.
- Put the rolls on a baking sheet and into the oven, then bake at 400 °F for 10 minutes, or until the rolls turn light, golden brown.
- Once the 10 minutes are up, your shrimp rice paper rolls are ready to eat.
Aside from being used as a wrapper, you can use edible rice paper to make decorations like animals, funny faces, flowers, and even letters, by cutting it into your desired shape. You can also use crushed pieces of chocolate and/or icing to decorate your cut designs and even put them on cakes.