Fresh Rice Sheets And Noodles Recipes

RICE SHEET BATTER

Steps:

• Combine the rice flour, cornstarch, tapioca starch, and salt in a bowl. Make a well in the center and add the oil. Steadily whisk in the water to make a thin, silky batter. If the oil hasn't been broken up into minute droplets by the time you are done, whisk for about 15 seconds more.
• Set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes to allow the starches to bloom. The batter can be prepared up to 4 hours in advance, covered, and left at room temperature.
• Professional cooks steam rice sheets atop a piece of cloth set on a special perforated pan, but most home cooks use square baking pans. A nonstick metal pan works best because it is light and easy to move with tongs. A glass pan is okay, especially with nonstick cooking spray applied to the bottom to ensure a clean release. Square pans work well for all the recipes here, though you can use a round one for the unfilled Dried Shrimp and Scallion Rice Rolls (page 162). My inexpensive nonstick square pan has sloping walls measuring 8 inches at the top and 7 inches at the bottom. If the baking pan fits your steamer tray, use the steaming method. Review the guidelines on page 17 before you start if you need to brush up on steaming techniques. Otherwise, use the poaching method.
• To steam, bring the water to a rolling boil with the steamer tray in place. Put the pan inside the tray, cover, and preheat for 2 minutes. Alternatively, to poach the noodle sheet, select a wide deep pot, covered roasting pan, or electric skillet inside which your baking pan will fit. Fill the pot or pan with enough water so that the baking pan floats nicely but there is plenty of room for steam to circulate when the lid is on. Bring the water to a boil, put the pan in the water, and lower the heat to gently simmer. Cover to preheat the pan for 2 minutes.
• Regardless of cooking method, lower the heat before removing the lid for safety. If water dripped into the pan, use tongs or potholders to grab the pan and pour the water out. Because the batter separates and settles as it sits, stir it with a ladle until there is no drag, then ladle enough batter into the pan to cover the bottom by about 1/8 inch. For my square baking pan, I use about 6 tablespoons (a generous 1/3 cup) of batter. If the pan is not completely flat, the batter will not cover the bottom at first. Let the batter begin to set for 5 to 10 seconds, then use tongs to tilt the pan to evenly spread the batter and film the bottom.
• Adjust the heat to a boil for steaming or gently simmer for poaching, then cover and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the noodle sheet has set and bubbled up. If you touch it, it shouldn't stick to your finger. Lower the heat or turn it off , then use tongs to remove the pan. Set aside for 2 to 3 minutes, until the rice sheet is cool enough to handle. A completely cool rice sheet will lift off more easily from the pan but a warm rice sheet will roll up and seal better. To hasten cooling, set the pan in a bowl of cold water for a few minutes.
• Run a thin-rimmed rubber spatula or metal icing spatula around the edge of the noodle sheet to detach it from the pan. Pry up two of the corners (select thicker ones) and use your fingers to peel off the noodle sheet. Place it bottom side down on a work surface and let it cool for a few minutes (use the waiting time to wash and dry the pan and start steaming another sheet) before proceeding as directed in the recipe. Repeat for the other sheets. If you are stacking the sheets, put parchment paper between each one to make separating them easier. The recipes in this book call for filling the sheets soon after they are cooked, but you can keep cooked sheets at room temperature for up to 12 hours. Wrap the stack in parchment paper and seal them in a zip-top plastic bag, or place in an airtight plastic container. They can be individually steamed, placed on an oiled plate or piece of parchment paper set in a steamer tray, over low heat for 1 to 2 minutes to regain their softness. Refrigerated sheets harden and are best cut up and treated like fresh noodles for panfried noodles or soup.