Love to eat Vietnamese dishes? If so, chances are that you are familiar with a complement called rice paper, which is commonly used to wrap various types of meat and vegetables such as spring roll skin. Generally, edible rice paper is made from a mixture of starch, water, and tapioca flour or rice flour. Meanwhile, inedible rice paper is usually made in the laboratory from plant materials instead of rice, and is used to make origami, calligraphy paper, or other paper products. Although rice paper products that are safe to eat are widely sold in the market, you can actually make them yourself, lo! The trick, simply mix the flour, starch, and water, then spread the rice paste on top of the plastic wrap. At the final stage, rice paste only needs to be warmed in the microwave before being processed into various dishes.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp. rice flour (Joshinko)
- 1 tbsp. potato starch (Katakuriko)
- 1½ tbsp. water
- A pinch of salt
Step
Part 1 of 3: Making Rice Paste
Step 1. Mix all the prepared ingredients
Place the rice flour, potato starch, water, and salt in a bowl and mix all the ingredients together until it turns into a sticky, glue-like paste.
Step 2. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap
Make sure you only use plates/bowls and plastic wrap that are large, and safe to heat in the microwave. Cover the surface of the bowl tightly with plastic wrap.
Step 3. Pour the rice paste onto the surface of the plastic wrap
As long as the surface of the bowl is tightly wrapped with plastic wrap, the rice paste should not fall or spill. Then, gently tilt the bowl so that the pasta spreads over the entire surface of the plastic wrap and forms a thin, even layer, about 17 cm in diameter.
If you wish, you can also flatten the rice paste with the back of a spoon
Part 2 of 3: Compacting Rice Paper
Step 1. Heat the rice paste in the microwave
Place the plate in the microwave and heat the rice paste on high for 45 seconds. Basically, for a 500 watt microwave, rice paste can be heated for 40-50 seconds. If your microwave has a different power, feel free to experiment to find the most appropriate duration.
Step 2. Remove the plastic wrap, then place it back on the plate upside down
Remove the plastic wrap with the rice paper on top from the surface of the bowl. If you want, you can also hold the plate upside down. However, always remember that the plate will be very hot at this point, and wearing gloves will make it even more difficult to remove the rice paper.
Step 3. Remove the rice paper
Try to pull the end of the rice paper. As the temperature of the rice paper cools down, each end should start to come off on its own from the surface of the plastic wrap. At this point, work very slowly to pull the edges of the rice paper, and keep working even if the rice paper starts to look torn. After the rice paper is completely removed, don't forget to turn it over before adding various fillings to it.
Part 3 of 3: Using and Storing Rice Paper
Step 1. Put the various fillings into the rice paper
To make spring rolls, prepare the various types of fillings you want to use, such as raw vegetables, tofu, pork, or chicken, and place them all over the surface of the rice paper to fill about 1/3 of the way. Then, roll up the rice paper while holding it tightly so that the contents don't spill or scatter out.
To make fried spring rolls, you only need to fry the rice paper and the filling in hot oil until the surface is golden brown
Step 2. Save the rice paper
Put the rice paper in an airtight container, then store the container in the refrigerator. When exposed to fresh air, the rice paper will begin to absorb the moisture in the air. To retain moisture, store rice paper that will be used immediately, such as those that have been processed into spring rolls, by wrapping it with wet kitchen paper and plastic wrap before placing it in the refrigerator. Thus, the texture of the rice paper will remain soft.
Step 3. Reuse the hardened rice paper
Once packaged properly, rice paper can last for several days if stored in the refrigerator. Unfortunately, the cold temperature of the refrigerator can make the texture of the rice paper harden. However, there is no need to worry because to restore the texture to its original state, you only need to dip the rice paper in warm water, then place it on a serving plate. If the texture of the rice paper does not soften, feel free to throw it away or cut it lengthwise to be processed into noodles.
