Rice Paper

Rice paper is a thin, translucent sheet made from rice flour, water and tapioca starch. It originates from Southeast Asia, where it is widely used in Vietnamese, Thai and Chinese cuisine. When dry, the sheets are brittle and fragile, but after a few seconds of soaking in warm water they become flexible and pliable. They are most commonly used to wrap spring rolls and fresh summer rolls filled with vegetables, shrimp, rice noodles or meat. Rice paper can also be deep-fried, when submerged in hot oil it turns wonderfully crispy. It has a neutral, mildly sweet flavour that does not overpower the other ingredients. It is naturally gluten-free.