Many home cooks use a lot of rice paper and make sure to have a good supply, because it can be used in a diverse range of dishes. Frying makes it wonderfully tasty, similar to other ingredients! These half-moons are stuffed with an seasoned chicken mixture, while tteokbokki is a Korean dish of chewy rice tubes that are often cooked in a stew. They are not always easy to find, but I love them, so I create my own version.
DIY Chewy Rice Tubes (pictured top)
Prep Five minutes
Cook 20 minutes
Makes 12
One packet of dried rice paper sheets
45ml of oil
Six garlic cloves, finely diced
45ml of gochujang paste
2 tbsp soy sauce
To serve
Sesame oil
Spring onions, trimmed and thinly sliced
Sesame seeds
Dunk each sheet of rice paper in a bowl of cold water, submerging them until soft.
Roll each one into a log, then slice into two and set aside.
Put the oil in a wide pan on a medium setting and, when it shimmers, add the chopped garlic and fry.
When the garlic becomes fragrant and colored, add three cups cold water, the Korean chili paste and the soy sauce, and simmer for five minutes.
Drop the rice paper rolls into the pan and simmer for five to eight minutes, until the rolls are coloured and soft.
Finish with a splash of sesame oil and a scattering of sliced spring onions and some sesame seeds.
Crispy Chicken Parcels
Prep 5 minutes
Cook 30 min
Makes half a dozen
Approximately 1.1lbs of chicken mince
1 tsp garlic paste
5ml of ginger paste
A couple of scallions, sliced
One teaspoon salt
Three teaspoons chilli flakes
1 egg
6 rice paper circles
Frying oil, to fry in
Hot sauce, as an accompaniment
Place the ground chicken in a bowl, then mix in the ginger and garlic paste, sliced spring onions, salt and chilli flakes.
Crack in the egg and mix until everything is well combined.
Get a lipped plate and add some cold water.
Briefly immerse a rice paper circle in the water and leave it until pliable – it softens almost instantly.
Lay the paper on a board, portion out some of the chicken filling on half of the paper, then distribute it evenly, leaving a 1cm border.
Cover it with the remaining half of paper over the top of the filling, then crimp the edges to seal.
Repeat with with the remaining five rice paper sheets and filling.
Add sufficient oil into the base of a frying pan so that it’s entirely covered.
Put on a high heat and, when hot, place the half-moons two at a time and fry until crisp and golden.
Once one side is done, carefully turn them and cook on the other side.
Repeat with the remaining half-moons.
Serve hot or warm with a preferred spicy condiment.
