Rice Paper – Guideline To Choose The Perfect One

What is Vietnamese Rice Paper? 

If you've ever known about the Vietnamese spring roll with a crispy wrapper or a colourful summer roll that go viral on Instagram for a while, you might have noticed that transparent, round, and thin paper pieces. Vietnamese rice paper wrappers is the term given to them. 

Rice flour, water, and salt are the three main components used to manufacture Vietnamese rice paper. To make it thinner and simpler to soften and roll, tapioca starch is frequently used in modern times. After that, the batter was cooked into thin circles on top of fabric draped over a kettle of simmering water. Rice sheets were produced, and they were dried on woven mats. 

Where to buy Vietnamese Rice Paper? 

Depending on where you live, you might get lucky and find rice paper wrappers sold in your local oriental grocery. Buying online at Asian Food Supply is also an excellent option as we are proudly to be one of the best food traders in Denmark that take care of each product that we sell, from material to the entire process. 

Tip to buy Rice Paper!  

You may want to avoid wrappers that are made with 100% tapioca since they are super thin and trickier to wrap. Instead, look for wrappers made with rice or a mix of rice and tapioca, this combination made rice papers strong, and chewy enough to roll without tearing apart. 

The formula may play a crucial role in the texture of wrappers. You should not be surprised if there are a variety of rice paper, from summer roll to spring roll, net skin or brown rice paper. 

The size and shape of rice papers are also important if you are at an entry-level to rice paper. The ideal rice paper size is 22 cm, which will give you enough room to add filling and ensure that nothing is lost in the folding process. I would like to recommend square rice sheets for the shape because they are simpler for you to fold and roll; but, if you are skilled and familiar with rice paper, circle shape shouldn't be a problem. 

How to store Rice Paper? 

You can keep rice paper around for a very long period because it is a dried product. After the package has been opened, put it in a plastic bag that can be sealed, then keep it in the pantry or cabinet. 

Step by step to make the best Rice Paper Rolls! 

1. Wet Rice paper by dipping it in a bowl of water only one time. As the sheet is submerged totally in water, take it out immediately.
2. Don’t be worry if the rice paper is still hard when you take out and put on the plate, it will eventually soften during the time you arrange the filling. 
3. Place orderly the filling in the middle of the bottom third of the wrapper, try not to put in too much, ideally from 3-5 ingredients. 
4. Bring the bottom edge up and over the filling. Fold left and right sides. 
5. Use your fingers to keep the filling being in the middle, gently and firmly roll to the end of rice paper. One of the wrappers may tear as you handle it or roll it. Don't worry if the rice paper begins to break a little; simply overlap the two damaged edges and carry on as normal. 

Explore more Rice Paper dishes  

Two well-known rice paper-based dishes are Goi Cuon and Cha Gio, or Vietnamese Summer Rolls and Fried Spring Rolls, respectively. While Goi cuon - Summer Rolls are renowned for its colorful, eye-catching look, as well as their fresh taste and health advantages, Cha Gio - Vietnamese Friend Spring Rolls get famous for their complex texture, crispy outside yet savory and soft inside.  

You can also find other Rice Papers dish when wandering around the city and stop by at a street food vendor. Banh Trang Tron (or Mixed Rice Paper) is a kind of snack that has a variety of toppings, a mixture of shredded rice papers, Vietnamese salt, kumquat, quail egg and jerky. If you want to have something more familiar to Western style, there is a fusion called Vietnamese Pizza – Banh Trang Nuong, grilled rice paper topped with butter, scallion, egg and sausage. 

In recent times, rice papers, because of its chewiness texture, are also used as a replacement of ingredients for Tteokbokki, a traditional Korean spicy rice cake. Beyond some traditional dishes, with a little twist, rice paper can be created and used in many meals. Follow Asian Food Supply for more interested recipes related to Vietnamese Rice Paper.