Rice Paper

Thin, translucent sheets made from rice flour and tapioca, dried until brittle and glasslike. Neutral in flavor and lightly sweet, they soften in warm water within seconds and become pliable with a gentle chew; use them to wrap fresh rolls, enclose fillings for frying, or fry on their own into lacy crisps. Sold as round or square sheets in several diameters and thicknesses.

Developed in southern Vietnam, rice paper (bánh tráng) spread across Southeast Asia through local trade and street markets. Traditional makers steam a thin rice batter on cloth and sun-dry it on woven mats, while modern factories use controlled drying to standardize texture and size.