One keep on hand a lot of rice paper and always have plenty at home, because it can be used in a wide variety of ways. Frying makes it wonderfully tasty, similar to other ingredients! These half-moons are stuffed with an aromatic chicken mince, while tteokbokki is a classic Korean recipe of chewy rice tubes that are commonly prepared in a flavorful broth. They can be difficult to locate, yet they are a favorite, so I make my own.
Homemade Rice Paper Tteokbokki (pictured top)
Prep 5 min
Cook Twenty min
Makes twelve pieces
134g pack rice paper spring roll wrappers
Three tablespoons oil
6 garlic cloves, minced after peeling
3 tbsp gochujang paste
Two tablespoons soy sauce
To serve
Toasted sesame oil
Green onions, cut into thin rings
Sesame seeds
Submerge each round of rice paper in a bowl of cold water, submerging them until soft.
Form each into a cylinder, then slice into two and set aside.
Put the oil in a broad frying pan on a medium setting and, when it’s hot, add the chopped garlic and fry.
As soon as the garlic turns brown, add approximately 750ml cold water, the spicy paste and the soy sauce, and let it bubble for five minutes.
Gently add the rice paper cylinders into the pan and cook for five to eight minutes, until they become tender and take on color.
Serve with a drizzle of sesame oil and a garnish of sliced spring onions and toasted sesame seeds.
Chicken Half-Moons
Prep 5 min
Cook 30 minutes
Makes 6
Half a kilogram chicken mince
1 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp ginger paste
Two green onions, trimmed and thinly sliced
5ml of salt
15ml of chilli flakes
1 egg
Half a dozen rice paper wrappers
Neutral oil, to fry in
Hot sauce, for serving
Add the minced chicken in a bowl, then mix in the garlic and ginger pastes, sliced spring onions, salt and chilli flakes.
Add the egg and stir until fully incorporated.
Take a plate with a rim and fill it with some cold water.
Briefly immerse a rice paper circle in the water and let it soften – this will take only a few seconds.
Put the softened sheet on a cutting board, add approximately one-sixth of the mixture on half of the paper, then distribute it evenly, leaving a 1cm border.
Fold the other half of paper on top of the filling, then fold back the border to seal.
Continue this process for the other five rice paper sheets and filling.
Heat a layer of oil into the base of a pan so that it covers the surface.
Put on a high heat and, when hot, gently lower in the half-moons two at a time and pan-fry until browned and crunchy.
After a few minutes, flip them over and brown the reverse.
Continue with the rest of the parcels.
Present hot or at room temperature with a preferred spicy condiment.
