🔗 Share this article

Many home cooks regularly utilize a lot of rice paper and always have plenty at home, because it can be used in a diverse range of dishes. Frying makes it wonderfully tasty, similar to other ingredients! These half-moons are packed with an seasoned chicken mixture, while tteokbokki is a popular Korean specialty of chewy rice tubes that are often cooked in a stew. Sourcing them can sometimes be tricky, however, they are adored, so I create my own version.

DIY Chewy Rice Tubes (pictured top)

Prep Five min
Cook Twenty minutes
Makes a dozen

A standard pack containing dried rice paper sheets
Three tablespoons oil
6 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
Three tablespoons gochujang paste
30ml of soy sauce

To serve
Toasted sesame oil
Green onions, finely sliced
Toasted sesame seeds

Briefly soak each wrapper of rice paper in a bowl of cold water, soaking until pliable.

Twist each into a tube, then cut in half and set aside.

Heat the oil in a broad frying pan on a moderate flame and, when it’s hot, add the chopped garlic and fry.

When the garlic becomes fragrant and colored, add 750ml cold water, the spicy paste and soy sauce, and let it bubble for five minutes.

Gently add the rice paper cylinders into the pan and simmer for five to eight minutes, until they soften and the sauce thickens.

Top with a trickle of sesame oil and a scattering of thinly cut scallions and toasted sesame seeds.

Savory Chicken Crescents

Prep 5 minutes
Cook Thirty minutes
Makes half a dozen

500g chicken mince
1 tsp garlic paste
One teaspoon ginger paste
Two green onions, finely chopped
1 tsp salt
Three teaspoons chilli flakes
A single egg
6 rice paper circles
Frying oil, for deep frying
Hot sauce, for serving

Put the chicken mince in a bowl, then add the ginger and garlic paste, chopped green onions, salt and red pepper flakes.

Crack in the egg and stir until fully incorporated.

Prepare a shallow dish and pour in some cold water.

Briefly immerse a rice paper circle in the water and let it soften – this happens very quickly.

Place the wrapper on a surface, portion out some of the chicken filling on half of the paper, then spread it out thinly, leaving a 1cm border.

Cover it with the remaining half of paper over the top of the filling, then seal the border to seal.

Do the same with the rest of the five rice paper sheets and filling.

Add sufficient oil into the base of a skillet so that the bottom is coated.

Put on a high heat and, when sizzling, carefully add the half-moons in batches and pan-fry until browned and crunchy.

Once one side is done, gently flip over and fry the second side.

Repeat with the remaining half-moons.

Enjoy immediately while warm with a side of chili sauce.