Vietnamese Rice Paper for Fried Rolls?

[Workalot]

I bought a package of these and have tons left since I only used 6 to make the fresh (salad-type) rolls. I was wondering if rice paper could be used to make fried rolls. I'm more familiar with the eggroll-style wrappers found in the freezer section for Chinese Egg Rolls and Filipino Lumpia, but was wondering if I could use the rice paper as a substitution. Anyone know?

[WhatThePho]

Update: I just did samosas fried in about 3/4" oil, then flipped and fried on the other side. The results were certainly not like a traditional wrapper, but they did turn out significantly better than our baked version. Definitely edible, we considered this one a keeper.

(Again, we were looking for a simple gluten-free alternative to wheat wrappers)

Sugar in the soak water didn't brown the rice paper noticeably, but I didn't fry them for a long time either: maybe two or three minutes per side? Just till they got crunchy.

Thanks again, CHers, for all the helpful input!

[lidia]

I tried frying spring rolls with rice paper wrappers and sadly ended up with a mess. They sort of melted, like plastic.

Seeing as other people have done it with success, I wonder what went wrong.

[seamunky]

probably, your filling had too much moisture.

[jaykayen]

The eggroll wrappers are really superior for frying. The rice wrappers tend to split and burn.

[Rubee]

I made the spring rolls with rice paper (cha gio) from the book MMRuth mentions - Hot Sour Salty Sweet- they came out great! Next time I'll use that tip from jem since mine didn't really get golden, just darker.

Report and pics:
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/36667...

[MMRuth]

Wow - those look delicious - and pretty golden to me. How much oil did you have to use to fry them, and what kind did you use? I've not done much "deep frying" and am always wary of the amount of oil needed to fry things - not from a calorie perspective, but from using up that much oil! Silly probably.

[jdubboston]

Along the same lines - has anyone ever baked these instead of frying? I, too, have only used my rice paper rolls for 'fresh' salad type rolls, but wanted to try to use them to make regular baked rolls. Suggestions on temp & time?

[Hungry Celeste]

"Regular" baked rolls? I've never had a baked roll, ever. I think that the texture of rice paper, baked, would be unpleasant....tough and chewy. Kinda like the rice paper's texture before you dip it into hot water!

[jdubboston]

what about steaming them in a bamboo steamer? do you think the rice paper would just end up soggy? any thoughts?
as for the baking, I though I might try brushing/spraying them with oil lightly first -- trying to get a bit of a crisp without too much fat!

[Hungry Celeste]

I think the rice paper would just dissolve into a mush inside a steamer...rice papers are made from already cooked rice (and sometimes a little tapioca starch). A simple dip in hot water renders them edible. No need for crisping the outside if you use traditional, crunchy ingredients on the inside (like mung bean sprouts, shredded carrot, cuccumber strips, fresh lettuce).

[jdubboston]

I have made regular salad rolls with them in the past... like you've described above. But I happen to have a TON of them right now, and so wanted to explore the possibilities for heating them up - hence the frying/baking/steaming research. Just want to have another option!

[WhatThePho]

Hey! This thread's a great help, although I see I'm late to the party.

My mom and I just tried baking spring rolls brushed in oil, as I've seen some recipes direct you to do. Celeste, you're right: the texture wasn't great.

We also tried steaming them. After (about) ten minutes the texture of the wrap was like that of a cooked noodle, or a steamed wonton. We liked it. I would urge you to use a metal colander and grease it slightly if you try it, as ours stuck to the steamer and fell apart. She's allergic to wheat, so this was a happy surprise.

I'm definitely going to try sugared soak water. Also trying samosas with rice paper for the same reason, no wheat. I'll report back. Thanks for the tips!!

[Rubee]

I used peanut oil - about 1+ iches deep in an oval Creuset. I know what you mean about the oil. I always feel like I have to reuse the oil and fry something else, as if I'm wasting the amount!

The recipe was a good one - tasty filling which you can make ahead, and the rice paper is pretty forgiving for rolling. I re-fried the leftovers the next day for reheating, but will use the tip pitu had given to re-heat them in the oven. I'm going to try to do what her mom does -fry and freeze a few too.

[jem]

tip: dissolve a little sugar in the soaking water for GOLDEN fried rolls, otherwise, they fry up a little pale.

[KTinNYC]

Adding beer does the same thing.

[benjamin23]

Great tip, thanks! I had some at a restaurant a while back, and have imitated them quite well but mine were a little pale. This is probably why.

[Workalot]

You guys rock. Thanks!!!!

[mnguyen]

Yes, those are the ones used for authentic VN fried spring rolls..a little more work, but definitely worth it. If you don't want to get them too wet, you can try spritzing them with a water bottle.

http://www.themaltesebacon.com

[MMRuth]

I think that you use the same paper for fried rolls - let me go check my HSSS cookbook and I'll post again.

Checked - yes - you can - you soak them until soft, make up the rolls and then fry. Says you can make the rolls up to three hours before frying.

[jsaimd]

In fact you should make them in advance - they hold a lot of water and I find fry better if you let them dry out a bit first

[MMRuth]

Good point - I wondered about that. Though I made the non fried ones last night, and by the time I was done making six of them, they seemed pretty dry (not dried out, fortunately!).