Filled with pork, mushrooms and aromatics like ginger, the rice paper takes on a crispy/chewy texture to make these amazing pan fried dumplings.
Though rice paper is most traditionally associated with cold Vietnamese style rolls, it takes on the most amazing texture when it’s pan fried. The chewy skins develop a brown exterior punctuated with tiny crispy air bubbles, that make for an awesome dumpling wrapper. I use a sort of pan-asian filling in mine, with pork, Thai fish sauce, Vietnamese inspired mint, Japanese shitake mushroom and other aromatics. The ABSOLUTE most crucial thing to note, is that you have to use a non stick pan to fry in. I tried to use a stainless steel pan the first time I made this recipe (hoping the dumplings would release once crispy) but they just turned into a broken mess! Luckily, rigorous kitchen testing has resulted in a recipe I’m proud to share!
Sometimes rice paper an be a little tricky to find. If your local grocery doesn’t have it, try an Asian market or grab them here. I like to serve mine with Nuoc Cham (which is like a Vietnamese vinaigrette) but you could also do a black vinegar or sweet chili sauce for dipping.
Crispy Rice Paper Dumplings
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: Makes about 20 pce 1x
Ingredients
20 sheets rice paper
1lb ground pork
1 oz dried shitake mushroom
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2–4 scallions, finely sliced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, crushed
1 tablespoon fish sauce
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons sugar, divided
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
Instructions
- Start by rehydrating the shitake mushrooms in boiling water. Allow to soak 10-15 minutes, then remove from water and squeeze to remove any excess liquid. Remove hard stems and finely dice.
- Combine mushrooms along with pork, garlic, scallions, ginger, fish sauce, salt, mint and cilantro and one tablespoon of the sugar to form the filling.
- Place the remaining sugar into a bowl or cup, and add 2 cups of water.
- Working one sheet at a time (and be careful not to get any liquid on the remaining paper sheets), brush the sheet on both sides with the sugar water using a basting or pastry brush. This is the best way to soften the sheets without making them too tacky to work with. They will take 30-60 seconds to soften to rollable/foldable texture.
- Once soft, place 2-3 tablespoons of filling into the top middle of the rice paper sheet. Fold the top over the filling, then fold in each side. Now, roll up the little dumpling “pillow”. You can really fold these anyway you prefer, I just find them easier to cook and eat in this shape. Set the dumpling aside on some parchment paper and repeat until all are formed. You can also make these a few hours in advance and hold them in the fridge until you’re ready to cook.
- Heat a large non stick stillet over medium high heat, and add the oil. Fry the dumplings in batches as to not overcrowd the pan. Cook for 5-7 minutes per side, then remove onto paper towel to drain. Allow to cool slightly before serving.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: appetizers
- Cuisine: Asian
To be honest, I haven’t made it, but I’m sure it’s amazing–what I love about this recipe is your “thinking ‘inside’ the box”! I’ve been thinking about wrapping my mother’s Viet egg roll recipe this way and always wondered why it had to be rolled! Thanks for testing that for me! 🙂
Planning on doing this recipe this Sunday; however, one quick question “Does the pork need to be sauteed prior to stuffing the rolls or does the pan frying of the rolls cook the pork?”
Thx
Yup! The pork cooks in the pan, which is why the cooktime is 7 min per side. You can use a thermometer to check the final temp is over 145f to be safe.