Rice Paper Sushi Rolls
These Rice Paper Sushi Rolls are crispy, chewy, and filled with the classic California roll – they will surely satisfy your sushi cravings.
What are Rice Paper Sushi Rolls?
Rice Paper Sushi Rolls are sushi filling wrapped in soft rice paper, and are the shortcut version to making sushi rolls. If you haven’t heard, they are the latest craze in the rice paper world of TikTok – yes, that is a thing.
These pockets of gloriousness can be pan-fried to become crispy, or it can be eaten as is, for their bouncy, chewy texture. They are so much easier to make than traditional sushi rolls, and can be made in half the time!
In this recipe, I will share with you one of my favourites, the classic California roll, however, feel free to fill it with any of your favourite sushi fillings. This sushi-making activity makes these the perfect dinner night dish to make with friends and family.
I enjoy dipping them in my Sriracha Aioli, as it is one of the most well known creamy sauces drizzled on most American sushi rolls. You can also dip them in the classic soy sauce and wasabi, or eat them as is!
Please watch my Rice Paper Sushi Rolls video, as I walk you through how to make them, and hopefully entertain you with my witty sense of humour.
Now let’s Rice Paper rock, and Sushi Roll!
What is Sushi?
Traditional sushi rolls, or maki in Japanese, is made from vinegar-flavoured sushi rice, and filled with fresh ingredients, including seafood and vegetables. It is then tightly wrapped in a sheet of nori, Japanese seaweed, with a bamboo mat, and then sliced into 6-8 pieces.
What does the word “sushi” mean?
The “su” in sushi actually means vinegar in Japanese, and the “shi” is short for meshi, which is rice. Put it together and BAM it creates vinegar rice (mmm delicious), or the more commonly used term – seasoned sushi rice.
Sushi must always use seasoned sushi rice; if it isn’t seasoned, then it’s technically not sushi (but who am I to say… we’re making sushi with rice paper!)
Can I make these Rice Paper Sushi Rolls with any filling?
Yes you can! Feel free to add any toppings your sushi heart desires. I personally prefer making California rolls because it’s cheap, simple, and oh-so delicious. Just make sure not to add too many toppings or else it will be overfilled and cause your rice paper to break.
What is Rice Paper?
Rice paper is an edible, stretchy sheet made of rice or rice flour, used to wrap ingredients in.
Please head to my Rice Paper Noodles recipe to read more about rice paper and how it’s made.
Are these similar to Rice Paper Dumplings?
The technique for wrapping them and pan-frying them are similar. However, since sushi filling is less wet than dumpling filling, it only requires one sheet of rice paper, instead of double-wrapping. The cooking time for these sushi rolls are also much shorter, as nothing inside needs to be fully cooked through.
Do I need to pan-fry these Rice Paper Sushi Rolls?
No, you don’t need to. They are just equally good soft and chewy, as they are crisp! I suggest leaving half of them as is, and pan-frying the other half, so it gives you more variety!
What do Rice Paper Sushi Rolls taste like?
When you first take a bite you get hit with the crispy rice paper wrapper, with a slight chewiness coming from them aswell. Then you chew a little, and you reach the soft and chewy rice, with the creaminess from the avocado and crab, and the crunchy, refreshing flavour of the cucumber.
The addition of the Spicy Sriracha Aioli gives a nice kick and unctuousness to the sushi rolls.
Ingredients for Rice Paper Sushi Rolls
Rice paper
The rice paper should be small sized, measuring 16 cm (6 in) in diameter.
Nori
You can either use Japanese nori, or Korean roasted seaweed snacks.
Cut them into small rectangles measuring 4 by 3 cm (1.6 by 1.2 in).
Seasoned sushi rice
To make seasoned sushi rice, mix in 2 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tsp sugar, 1/4 tsp salt to 3 cups sushi rice.
Sushi fillings
You can customize the filling to your liking. I will be showing you how to make the classic California roll, which, I believe, is the best filling for this rice paper sushi concept.
How to make Rice Paper Sushi Rolls
1.
Prepare the fillings
To a chopping board, shred the imitation crab with two forks, place into a bowl and mix in Kewpie mayo. Then, julienne the cucumber into thin matchsticks, measuring 3 inches. Finally, thinly slice the avocado, around 1/3 the size of your pinky tip.
With the sushi rice, season it with rice vinegar, sugar, and salt. For the seaweed sheets, cut into 3 by 4 cm (1.2 by 1.6 in) rectangles.
2.
Stack the fillings onto rice paper
Dip a sheet of rice paper into room temp water for 10 seconds, and place onto a dry surface. Place a sheet of seaweed in the centre of the rice paper, followed by 2 tbsps of seasoned sushi rice. Wet your fingertips and mould the rice into a 3 by 2 inch rectangle.
For the toppings, take 1 tbsp of the creamy imitation crab, spreading it evenly over the rice. Grab some 8 strips of julienned cucumber placing it flat on top. Finally, slide on 3 slices of avocado.
3.
Wrap the filling with the rice paper into a roll
Bring the bottom portion of the rice paper up, the right side to left, the left side to right, and then roll it up, all the while tucking in any filling falling out, and BAM you have a gorgeous rice paper sushi roll.
Note: Please watch my Rice Paper Sushi Rolls video for a visual demonstration.
4.
Optional: Pan-fry until crispy
Grab a nonstick pan, and add some vegetable oil until it thinly fills the entire pan (around 1 mm of oil), turn the heat to medium-high, and slide the rolls in. Shallow fry them on both sides until crispy – it’ll be around 30 seconds on each side.
Once they’re golden and crisp, transfer them to a cutting board, and as they cool down a bit, make a quick dipping sauce.
5.
Garnish with sesame seeds and pair with dipping sauce
Garnish the non-fried sushi rolls with a pinch of sesame seeds. Pair the Rice Paper Sushi Rolls with the Spicy Sriracha Aioli. Serve immediately as the crispy rolls will turn soggy at the 10 mins mark.
Dig In!
There we have it, Rice Paper Sushi Rolls, and before the sushi rolls get soggy, let’s dig in!
Rice Paper Sushi Rolls
Ingredients
- ⅓ piece English cucumber julienned
- 1 whole avocado sliced
- 1 sheet nori cut into 4 by 3 cm pieces
- 6 sheets rice paper small
Crab mixture
- 1 cup imitation crab pulled into strips
- 3 tbsp Kewpie mayo
Seasoned Sushi Rice
- 3 cups sushi rice cooked
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
- Dip rice paper in room temp water for 10 seconds, then place onto dry surface.
- To the centre of rice paper, add nori and then 2 tbps rice. Mould the rice into a 3 by 2 inch rectangle (Note 1).
- Stack 1 tbsp crab mixture, 8 cucumber strips, and 3 avocado slices, respectively.
- Bring the bottom portion up, right side to left, left side to right, then roll it up, all the while tucking in any filling falling out.
- Place a pinch of roasted sesame seeds in the centre of the rice roll.
To make the rice paper sushi rolls crispy
- To a nonstick pan, add 1 mm of vegetable oil, turn the heat to medium-high, and shallow fry them for 30 seconds per side. Transfer to wire rack to cool.
- Serve immediately with Sriracha Aioli on the side.
Video
Notes
- To prevent the rice from sticking to your fingers, wet them with some water.
Did you make this recipe?
Tag me @lookcatchu so I can drool over them.
Hi, my spring roll skin started to open when I was frying them, how can you prevent this?, thank you