Rice paper is popular all over the world today. And she is especially adored in Asian countries. Only in our regions do they prefer pancakes in which a varied filling is wrapped. What is rice rice favorite by many? Where is it used? You can find answers to all these and other questions in this article. Here you can see a photo of rice paper.
They make it from rice dough using special technologies. That is, its composition includes rice flour, water and salt. Thanks to its sweetish taste, it is perfect for any dishes. The thinner the paper, the better.
Application
Rice paper can be used to prepare many dishes:
- salads;
- rolls (eat both in the usual form, and fried in oil until crisp);
- light snacks with a variety of fillings;
- baklava with honey and nuts;
- pancakes;
- noodles (for this, the sheet is simply cut into small strips);
- rolls with chicken, mushrooms, herbs;
- dumplings.
Rice paper perfectly replaces cabbage leaves, grape leaves and nori seaweed. One of the types of rice paper used for centuries in China and Japan in order to write and draw. Due to its translucency, the paper gives a magical glow to the drawings. For this reason, it is still used.
How is rice paper made?
In Asia, you can easily buy rice flour in the market or in the store. It is easy to make rice paper at home from it yourself. To make it work, you need these products:
- rice flour;
- tapioca flour;
- corn starch;
- salt;
- water;
- vegetable oil.
Dough is made from these ingredients. Tapioca and rice flour are taken in equal proportions. For 1.5 cups of flour mixture, 2 tablespoons of starch and 1/2 teaspoon of salt are needed. Then add 1 tablespoon of oil and a little water to knead the dough. It should be dense and fluid. Add 1 teaspoon of oil to a non-stick pan and heat over medium heat. Then you need to pour the dough into the pan, smooth and cover. Half an hour later, the rice paper is ready. But before filling the sheets with filling, you need to let them cool a little. If you dry the paper on a bamboo mat, you get a characteristic pattern. After drying, the rice sheet really resembles real paper.
Useful material
In rice paper there is everything necessary and useful for a person. It contains such vitamins and minerals: choline, vitamins of group B, E, H, PP, calcium, potassium, magnesium, zinc, phosphorus, sodium.
Useful action
The main ingredient is rice flour. It provides the body with fast, one might say, lightning-fast energy, regulates and improves intestinal motility, stabilizes blood sugar, slows down the aging process, and saturates with vitamins and minerals.
Negative influence
Rice paper is harmless. Only if a person has an individual intolerance to rice components can an allergic reaction be observed.
Preparation and method of serving
Many dishes use rice paper; recipes are easy to use. A sheet of paper needs to be lowered for some time in warm water, laid out on a clean towel and left for several minutes - so it becomes soft. When dry, rice paper is very brittle. But it’s important not to overdo it, since the sheet may become too wet and will just break, it will then have to be thrown away. Next, for convenience, the paper is placed on a plate, in the middle put a lettuce leaf, rice noodles, shrimp, carrots, cucumbers, you can add omelet slices. Wrap the edges with either an envelope or roll them up. Gently put on plates, sprinkled with herbs. Alternatively, you can fry the roll in oil to crunch the crust and to maintain shape.
The above dishes are considered the most popular in China, where rice paper is an important component of many dishes. For example, spring roll and egg roll. This traditional food is cooked in China on the first day of the New Year according to the local calendar. As a rule, this event occurs in the first days of spring, and it is not surprising that this dish is called "spring rolls". There is even an opinion that if you eat a spring roll, then spring will come much earlier. There is even a special slogan - “Bite the spring”. There is such a belief that when eating pancakes, spring is attracted , and at the same time troubles and misfortunes are driven away.
Having visited Thailand, China, Vietnam, Maldives, Sri Lanka and many other countries, you can taste these delicacies. In fact, rice paper is used by Asian residents as ordinary pancakes. They are eaten cold and hot with various fillings. There is only one significant difference - rice paper is more dietetic than pancakes. This is great news for those who want to eat something tasty and not get better. It also does not contain gluten. Often through the transparent sheets of thin rice paper you can see the filling, which enhances the appetite.
If you are one of those who love experiments, then you should not waste time searching for unusual recipes and, accordingly, products. All you need is to buy rice paper for rolls and use the products that are in the refrigerator to surprise your loved ones with goodies. According to the tradition of Chinese recipes, five spices are needed for the filling. It is quite appropriate to use green onions, young garlic, red pepper. European lovers of rolls make them not so sharp. Also, Asian culinary specialists, not sparing, use sauces for filling: soy, fish, oyster, lime juice, lemon. You can serve them separately.
Spring rolls (sprign rolls) - light rice cakes with all kinds of fillings. As we have already mentioned, they are an indispensable attribute of the table during the Chinese Spring Celebration. That’s why this name got this dish. The filling in it is exclusively spring vegetables. Therefore, the name "spring rolls" is quite logical (sprign from English - "spring").
Rice paper spring roll recipes are incredibly easy to use. Below will be presented one of the options for preparing this wonderful snack.
Spring Roll Preparation Method
Before you begin cooking, you need to decide which filling to choose. To do this, you can use a variety of components. Suitable vegetables include tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, lettuce, carrots, daikon radish, celery, green onions, leeks, asparagus. In addition, it will be delicious with avocados and green beans. Incredible taste gives a combination of seafood with rice paper. For vegetarians, spring rolls can be made from lettuce, sea kale. Champignons and shiitake are suitable. You can also experiment with cheeses, eggs, tofu, rice or rice noodles. Stuffings can be combined, for example, rice noodles, cucumber, carrots, peppers.
The next step in making rolls is choosing the right sauce. Japanese mayonnaise, tomato sauce, spicy sauce and many others are great here. It all depends on the taste and the filling of the rolls. To prepare spring rolls, you need, of course, rice paper. As a rule, the package says what needs to be done with it for greater elasticity. Often in one pack contains 12-14 sheets, or there are very large - 40 sheets. They need to hold a little in warm water before use. You should not immediately prepare all the sheets at the same time, since they are too wet, it is better to do everything in order of priority. Next, put the filling in the middle and collapse in the form of an envelope. Then the spring roll is deep-fried or in a skillet. Also, it is eaten simply without processing, dipped in sauce. Served as a snack or as a main dish.
Decoupage
Rice paper for decoupage is used today quite often. It is made from rice fiber, it does not stretch. It is very pleasant to work with such paper. It is somewhat similar to a blotter known to the older generation.
Rice paper can be plain (used for tone) or with patterns. When working with such material, you do not need to soak it in water, enough moisture from the glue. The paper is well impregnated and lays on the thing no worse than a decoupage card. Moreover, it is so malleable that it leaves no creases.
In Moscow, rice paper can be bought at almost all supermarkets. And ready-made dishes using it can be tasted in Asian restaurants.