Rice paper: composition, benefits and harms

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Rice paper is popular all over the world today. And especially it is adored in Asian countries. Only in our regions do they prefer pancakes, which are wrapped with a variety of fillings. What is the favorite rice paper of many? Where is it used? All these questions and more can be answered in this article. Here you can see a photo of rice paper.

Make it from rice dough using special technologies. That is, it includes rice flour, water and s alt. Thanks to its sweetish aftertaste, it goes well with any dishes. The thinner the paper, the better.

Application

Rice paper can be used for many dishes:

• salads;
• rolls (eaten as usual or fried in oil until crispy);
• light snacks with a variety of toppings;
• baklava with honey and nuts;
• pancakes;
• noodles (forthis sheet is simply cut into small strips);
• rolls with chicken, mushrooms, herbs;
• dumplings.

Rice paper is an excellent substitute for cabbage leaves, grape leaves and nori seaweed. One of the types of rice paper has been 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 today.

How is rice paper made?

In Asia, in the market or in the store, you can easily buy rice flour. It is easy to make rice paper at home from it. To make it work, you need the following products:

• rice flour;
• tapioca flour;
• cornstarch;
• table s alt;
• water;
• vegetable oil.

Dough is made from these ingredients. Tapioca flour and rice flour are taken in equal proportions. For 1.5 cups of flour mixture, you need 2 tablespoons of starch and 1/2 teaspoon of s alt. Next, add 1 tablespoon of oil and a little water to knead the dough. It should be thick and liquid. Add 1 teaspoon oil to a nonstick skillet and heat over medium heat. Then you need to pour the dough into the pan, level it and cover with a lid. After half an hour, rice paper is ready. But before filling the sheets with stuffing, you need to let them cool down a bit. If the paper is dried on a bamboo mat, a characteristic pattern will be obtained. After drying, the rice sheet really looks like real paper.

Useful substances

In ricepaper has everything necessary and useful for a person. It contains such vitamins and minerals: choline, B vitamins, 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, saturates with vitamins and minerals.

Negative influence

Rice paper is harmless. Only if a person has an individual intolerance to the components of rice, then an allergic reaction can be observed.

Preparation and serving method

Many dishes use rice paper and the recipes are easy to follow. A sheet of paper should be dipped for a while in warm water, spread out on a clean towel and left for a few minutes - so it will become soft. When dry, rice paper is very brittle. But it is important not to overdo it, as the sheet may become too wet and simply tear, it will then have to be thrown away. Further, for convenience, the paper is placed on a plate, a lettuce leaf, rice noodles, shrimp, carrots, cucumbers are placed in the middle, you can add omelette slices. Wrap the edges either with an envelope or roll up. Carefully put on plates, sprinkled with herbs. Alternatively, you can fry the roll in oil so that the crust crunches and to maintain its shape.

The above dishes are considered the most popular in China, where rice paper is importantcomponent attribute of many dishes. For example, spring roll and egg roll. This traditional food is prepared in China on the first day of the New Year according to the local calendar. As a rule, this event falls on the first days of spring, and it is not surprising that such a 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 a belief that while eating pancakes, spring is attracted, and at the same time, troubles and misfortunes are driven away.

Visiting Thailand, China, Vietnam, Maldives, Sri Lanka and many other countries, you can taste these delicacies. In fact, rice paper is used by Asians like ordinary pancakes. They are eaten hot and cold with different fillings. Only there is one significant difference - rice paper is more dietary than pancakes. This is great news for those who want to eat something tasty and not gain weight. It also does not contain gluten. Often, through transparent sheets of thin rice paper, you can see the filling, which increases the appetite.

If you are one of those who love experiments, then you should not waste time looking 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 ground pepper. Europeanconnoisseurs of rolls make them not so sharp. Also, for the filling, Asian chefs, without sparing, use sauces: soy, fish, oyster, lime juice, lemon. You can serve them separately.

Spring rolls - light rice cakes with various fillings. As we have already mentioned, they are a mandatory attribute of the table during the Chinese Spring Celebration. That is why this dish got its name. The filling in it is exclusively spring vegetables. Therefore, the name "spring rolls" is quite logical (sprig from English - "spring").

Rice paper spring roll recipes are incredibly easy to make. Below is one of the options for preparing this wonderful appetizer.

Spring roll cooking method

Before you start cooking, you need to decide which filling to choose. To do this, you can use a variety of components. Suitable vegetables can be tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, lettuce, carrots, daikon radish, celery, green onions, leeks, asparagus. In addition, it will be delicious with avocado and green beans. Incredible taste gives a combination of seafood with rice paper. For vegetarians, spring rolls can be made from lettuce, seaweed. Mushrooms and shiitake are suitable. And you can also experiment with cheeses, eggs, tofu, rice or rice noodles. Toppings can be combined, such as rice noodles, cucumber, carrot, pepper.

The next step in making rollsis to choose the right sauce. Japanese mayonnaise, tomato sauce, hot sauce and many others are great here. It all depends on the taste and on the filling of the rolls. To make spring rolls, you need, of course, rice paper. As a rule, the packaging says what needs to be done with it for greater elasticity. Often, one pack contains 12–14 sheets, or there are quite large ones - 40 sheets. They need to be held in warm water for a while before use. You should not immediately prepare all the sheets at the same time, as they will get too wet, it is better to do everything in turn. Next, put the filling in the middle and roll it up in the form of an envelope. Then the spring roll is deep-fried or in a pan. It is also eaten simply without processing, dipped in sauce. Serve as an appetizer or main course.

Decoupage

Rice paper for decoupage is used quite often today. It is made from rice fiber, it does not stretch. This paper is a pleasure to work with. It is somewhat similar to the blotter known to the older generation.

Rice paper can be plain (used for tone) or with patterns. When working with such material, it is not necessary to soak it in water, moisture from the glue is enough. The paper is well impregnated and falls on the thing no worse than a decoupage card. In addition, it is so pliable that it does not leave any wrinkles.

In Moscow, rice paper can be bought in almost all supermarkets. And ready-made dishes with its use can be tasted in restaurants. Asian food.