Question about rice paper- I shop at a large Viet supermarket and buy all-rice rice paper. I made your baked cha gio tonight. Altho' it was crisp, the texture was kind of leathery, and not light and blistered like it is if fried. I notice that your recommended brands, 3 Ladies and Tufoco Bamboo Tree, have more tapioca flour than rice flour. Does your recipe assume the use of rice paper with a high percentage of tapioca? Would that be lighter?
What is the brand that you used? Rice paper made from all rice is very hard to find these days. I'm happily surprised you got some. The 100% banh trang will be thicker than rice paper made with tapioca and rice. That's likely why you got leathery texture. I did not test with rice paper that you got because it's uncommon.
I suggest next time trying the oven-fried recipe with the recommended brands. I carefully select brands that are widely distributed and consistent. If for some reason you cannot get the brands I suggested, try cooking yours longer to see what happens. Also, cut them soon after cooking so the insides don't steam and get chewier than they should be.
Finally, oven-fried cha gio recipe in Ever-Green Vietnamese will not be blistered because the rolls are not fried in oil. As you can see in the photo in the book, there's no blistering.
Question about rice paper- I shop at a large Viet supermarket and buy all-rice rice paper. I made your baked cha gio tonight. Altho' it was crisp, the texture was kind of leathery, and not light and blistered like it is if fried. I notice that your recommended brands, 3 Ladies and Tufoco Bamboo Tree, have more tapioca flour than rice flour. Does your recipe assume the use of rice paper with a high percentage of tapioca? Would that be lighter?
What is the brand that you used? Rice paper made from all rice is very hard to find these days. I'm happily surprised you got some. The 100% banh trang will be thicker than rice paper made with tapioca and rice. That's likely why you got leathery texture. I did not test with rice paper that you got because it's uncommon.
I suggest next time trying the oven-fried recipe with the recommended brands. I carefully select brands that are widely distributed and consistent. If for some reason you cannot get the brands I suggested, try cooking yours longer to see what happens. Also, cut them soon after cooking so the insides don't steam and get chewier than they should be.
Finally, oven-fried cha gio recipe in Ever-Green Vietnamese will not be blistered because the rolls are not fried in oil. As you can see in the photo in the book, there's no blistering.
Thanks for this great question, Gail!