From the series “Let’s open up to the world in the kitchen” today I had fun preparing the rice paper flowers with salmon which I consider — and I may be wrong — a playful ethnic starter that is, for me, wonderful to look at and to eat!
I didn’t know this ingredient because I’m not a big visitor of Asian ethnic restaurants, but when I saw a video on YouTube I bought rice paper and experimented with these delicious rice flowers that stay crunchy for a few hours and can be made a little in advance!
is used to make Asian rolls and in this package (cost 6,83 for 340 grams / 12 oz) there are many sheets that, before use, need a 5‑second bath in water and can then be filled with rice, bean sprouts, vegetables and much more.
Rice paper—delicate and transparent—originated in China and is generally used in Vietnamese and Thai cuisine to make wraps and especially NEM rolls.
Rice paper is made from rice flour and tapioca starch; it is sold dry and stiff, can be eaten raw or cooked, and can be filled with almost anything. I suggest vegetables such as carrots, peppers and lettuce, and flavoring with herbs like parsley, chives, basil and mint.
Aside from the frying method I propose here, rice paper should be rehydrated in warm or cold water before use, as when making Vietnamese rolls.
RICE PAPER SHEETS can also be baked in the oven but should first be brushed with extra virgin olive oil.
Making this double flower I of course used a bit more, but the cost seems quite economical to make them. Nothing prevents you from making giant flowers using the whole rice paper circle which is about 6 1/4 inches each.
I tried to cut two flowers of different sizes from each rice paper sheet which I “glued” together with a few grains of cooked rice mixed with a pinch of turmeric, a kind of edible glue.
After sticking the 2 flowers together I fried them in hot oil for about 10 seconds, pressing with a skewer in the center to make the rice paper petals open (the video below is very clear!!)
I served these crispy rice paper flowers with salmon simply pan‑seared with a sauté of leek and extra virgin olive oil and a few grains of faux pepper — the pink peppercorns I love so much!
A little chopped chive and the plate of rice paper flowers with salmon and chives is ready to be brought to the table!
Preparation time varies if you already have a small handful of cooked rice in the fridge, of course!
P.S. This dish is an experiment and a tryout; I leave you indicative quantities but it’s so simple there shouldn’t be any problems — invent new fillings and leave me your ideas in the comments if you like!
RICE PAPER FLOWERS WITH SALMON
ASI’s kitchen
creative and gourmet appetizer
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Very economical
- Rest time: 5 Minutes
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Cooking time: 22 Minutes
- Portions: 10 rice paper flowers
- Cooking methods: Frying
- Cuisine: Asian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup rice (At home I used the Roma variety)
- 1 pinch turmeric powder
- 7 oz salmon
- to taste leek (about 3/8 inch (1 cm) of leek, white part only)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- to taste chives
- a few pink peppercorns (a few grains of faux pepper also called pink pepper)
- to taste salt
- as needed vegetable oil (peanut oil is the most suitable for frying)
Tools
#adv
- Dahle R054636 Household Scissors Dahle
- Small pans
Steps
1) First, you need to cook the rice in salted boiling water for the time indicated on the package and then, after draining it well, let it cool.
2) While the Roma rice variety cooks, I cut with scissors 2 RICE PAPER FLOWERS of different sizes for each portion — no need to experiment too much in my opinion; it’s important that the PETALS are tall so they open more easily during cooking.
3) Mix the rice with turmeric powder and place the larger flowers on a surface, putting a pinch of seasoned rice in the center and immediately sticking the smaller flower on top.
4) When the vegetable oil is hot, fry the rice paper flowers one at a time and after 7–8 seconds carefully place them on kitchen paper to drain.
5) Continue until you have used up the rice flowers and then quickly sauté the salmon.
6) I cut the fresh salmon fillet into small cubes and lightly braised the leek with oil in a pan.
7) When the leek is translucent add the salmon, season with salt and add a few grains of faux pepper.
8) A few minutes of cooking then turn off the heat and sprinkle the diced fresh salmon with chives.
9) Retrieve the rice paper flowers, place a few pieces of cooked, seasoned salmon in the center like a pistil and serve.
Enjoy this playful and creative appetizer with rice paper sheets and salmon!
Annalisa
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Annalisa suggests…
1) The quickly sautéed salmon goes very well with the rice paper flowers but in my opinion it wouldn’t be bad to add a tablespoon of guacamole with avocado…
