Fresh Rice Sheets For Noodles Or Wrappers

Photo: flickr user FredMikeRudy

Ingredients

1 cup Rice flour

5 tablespoons Tapioca starch *

4 tablespoons Wheat starch *

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

2 cups Water, plus

2 tablespoons Water

5 teaspoons Oil

Oil, to grease pans

Preparation

* Tapioca starch and wheat starch are both pure white, silky textured powders, available in 1-pound bags in well-stocked Asian Markets.

1. Combine rice flour, tapioca starch, wheat starch, salt and water and stir until smooth. Strain batter through a fine strainer and stir in 5 teaspoons oil. Let batter rest 30 minutes.

2. Lightly oil a baking sheet and two 8x8 inch or 9x9 inch square cake pans. Place a steaming rack in a wok and add water to just below rack.

Bring to a boil and have additional boiling water ready to replenish steamer.

3. Stir batter very well and pour enough into one of the cake pans to cover bottom, about 1/2 cup. Set pan on steaming rack, cover wok, and steam 5 minutes. Remove lid, being careful not to let condensed water drip on rice sheet. (A tea towel can be placed over pan before covering wok - K.F.) Remove cake pan; cool in a sink or lager pan filled with 1/2 inch cold water. Meanwhile, fill and steam the other cake pan.

4. Loosen the cooled rice sheet from the first pan and roll it out onto the oiled baking sheet. Turn over rice sheet to lightly oil both sides, then transfer to a platter. Repeat cooking, cooling, and oiling steps with remaining batter.

5. Stack rice sheets on a plate, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 2 hours before cutting into noodles or adding stuffings.