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, which are wrapped with a variety of fillings. What is rice paper, beloved by many? Where is it used? All these and other questions can be answered in this article. Here you can see a photo of rice paper.
It is made from rice dough using special technologies. That is, it contains rice flour, water and salt. Thanks to its sweetish taste, it is perfect for any dish. The thinner the paper, the better.
Application
Rice paper can be used to prepare many dishes:
- salads;
- rolls (eaten either plain or fried in oil until crispy);
- light snacks with a variety of fillings;
- baklava with honey and nuts;
- pancakes;
- noodles (for this the leaf is simply cut into small strips);
- rolls with chicken, mushrooms, herbs;
- dumplings.
Rice paper is a great substitute for cabbage leaves, grape leaves and nori seaweed. One type of rice paper has been used for centuries in China and Japan for writing and drawing. Due to its translucency, the paper gives a magical glow to the drawings. For this reason it is still used today.
Master class: decoupage of rice paper on glass
Glass objects must initially be washed, dried and any remaining grease removed. Transparent containers are washed in soapy water, the metal surface must initially be primed, and the wood must be sanded.
Then a background is selected on which to glue the fragments. It is first tried on for background analysis. Low-density paper may show through the fragments after they are glued.
To make the boundaries of the design appear clear, the area of the applied ornament is painted with a light acrylic color. Later the order and means of gluing are determined.
Varnish - the ornament is placed in the required area on the surface, then smeared with a varnish base, moving from the middle to the borders.
Glue - Sometimes it's easier to use a stick of glue. It is used to coat all areas of the plane. When using glue, the pattern must be pressed and then rolled with a roller. After drying, the image is fixed with acrylic varnish.
It is allowed to mount the drawing on the water. Wet the ornament with a wet brush, then place the motif on the product. Once the moisture dries, saturate the pattern with adhesive or varnish base. This method has many advantages, one of which is the ability to move the drawing while it is still wet.
How is rice paper made?
In Asia, you can easily buy rice flour at the market or in a store. It's easy to make your own rice paper at home. To make everything work, you need the following products:
- rice flour;
- tapioca flour;
- corn starch;
- salt;
- water;
- vegetable oil.
These ingredients are used to make dough. Tapioca 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 salt. Next, add 1 tablespoon of oil and a little water to knead the dough. It should be dense and liquid. Add 1 teaspoon of oil to a non-stick frying pan 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, 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 will get a characteristic pattern. Once dry, the rice sheet really resembles real paper.
Is it permissible to print on rice paper for decoupage?
Many home professionals use rice paper in fine art. Due to its strength during gluing of the fragment, the boundary outlines of the paper are hidden.
The paper is divided into sheets and ironed with a hot iron before use. Initially, sheets of ordinary office paper are placed in the printer, and then rice paper.
Excellent quality comes out if you do all the work on a laser printer. However, experts who know a lot about the business recommend using inkjet printers using pigment inks.
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Preparation and serving method
Rice paper is used in many dishes and the recipes are easy to follow. A sheet of paper should be dipped in warm water for a while, laid out on a clean towel and left for a few minutes - this will make it 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, and then you will have to throw it away. Next, for convenience, the paper is placed on a plate, a salad leaf, rice noodles, shrimp, carrots, cucumbers are placed in the middle, and you can add slices of omelette. Wrap the edges either with an envelope or roll. Carefully place on plates, sprinkle with herbs. Alternatively, you can fry the roll in oil to crisp up the crust and to maintain its shape.
The dishes described above 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 prepared 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 such a dish is called “spring rolls.” There is even an opinion that if you eat a spring roll, 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. Basically, rice paper is used like regular pancakes by Asians. They are eaten cold or hot with different fillings. There is only one significant difference - rice paper is more dietary than pancakes. This is great news for those who want to eat something tasty without gaining weight. It is also gluten free. Often, the filling is visible through transparent sheets of thin rice paper, which increases appetite.
If you are one of those who loves 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 delicacies. According to the tradition of Chinese recipes, the filling requires five spices. It is quite appropriate to use green onions, young garlic, and ground red pepper. European roll connoisseurs make them less spicy. Also, for the filling, Asian cooks, without sparing, use sauces: soy, fish, oyster, lime juice, lemon juice. You can serve them separately.
Spring rolls are light rice cakes with various fillings. As we already mentioned, they are a must-have at the table during the Chinese Spring Celebration. That’s why this dish got its name. The filling in it is exclusively spring vegetables. Therefore, the name “spring rolls” is quite logical (sprign from English means “spring”).
Rice paper spring roll recipes are incredibly easy to make. Below you will find one of the options for preparing this wonderful snack.
Spring roll preparation 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 include tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, lettuce, carrots, daikon radish, celery, green onions, leeks, and asparagus. In addition, it will be delicious with avocado and green beans. The combination of seafood with rice paper gives an incredible taste. For vegetarians, spring rolls can be made from lettuce and seaweed. Champignons and shiitake are suitable. You can also experiment with cheeses, eggs, tofu, rice or rice noodles. Fillings can be combined, for example, rice noodles, cucumber, carrots, pepper.
The next step in making rolls is choosing the appropriate sauce. Japanese mayonnaise, tomato sauce, hot sauce and many others are great here. It all depends entirely on the taste and filling of the rolls. To make spring rolls, you need, of course, rice paper. As a rule, it is written on the packaging what needs to be done with it to make it more elastic. Often one pack contains 12–14 sheets, or there are very large ones - 40 sheets. They need to be kept in warm water for a while before use. You shouldn’t prepare all the sheets at once, as they will get too wet; it’s better to do everything in order. Next, put the filling in the middle and fold it into an envelope. Then the spring roll is deep-fried or in a frying pan. It is also eaten simply without processing, dipped in sauce. Serve as an appetizer or as a main course.
Decoupage
Rice paper for decoupage is used quite often today. It is made from rice fiber and does not stretch. This paper is very pleasant 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, you do not need to soak it in water; moisture from the glue is enough. The paper soaks well and fits onto the item no worse than a decoupage card. In addition, it is so pliable that it does not leave any folds.
In Moscow, rice paper can be bought in almost all supermarkets. And you can try ready-made dishes using it in Asian restaurants.
How to beautifully extract a motive?
Firstly, you need to be very careful and calm, one awkward movement and the wonderful drawing can be torn. Although rice paper is stronger than a napkin, for example, it is still easy to “offend”.
Let's get to the point. There are two main ways to extract a motif: by tearing out the design with your hands and using scissors.
If you choose paper with a low density, it will be easy to tear it off with your hands, thereby the edges will look very appropriate and natural.
But even if you use scissors, it doesn’t matter. Since paper with a low density is usually very thin and almost translucent, the edges will not be very noticeable in their “ideality”.
It is also appropriate to use scissors if in the future, after applying the pattern to the surface, you will additionally frame the borders, tinting and decorating with other details.
Note. If you have paper with a high density value, then be very careful when tearing off the motif with your hands.
Since the density is high, some rice fibers will stand out well. In this case, in order not to tear the pattern, it is worth trimming the large fibers with scissors.
