How to Hydrate Rice Paper Wrappers for Spring Rolls

A staple in Asian cooking, rice paper wrappers are used in a variety of applications.These brittle rounds are made from a paste of rice flour and water that is stamped into bamboo mats and dried.How you rehydrate the wrappers can affect how easy it is to work with.The water temperature and the length of the soak were tested to create recommendations.

The hotter the water, the quicker the wrapper hydrated and turned sticky.Cold water makes the wrapper moist more slowly, giving you more time to work.

Don't soak for long, soaking the wrappers for too long causes them to become over saturated, so a 2-second dip is all that's needed.The wrapper is stretchy enough to roll but not so fragile that it tears.