What is Rice Paper?
Rice paper, also called rice paper wrappers are made from rice starch and pressed into thin dry rounds, the shape of a tortilla. They are a translucent white color, hard and crack easily. These papers are soaked in water to soften and become very pliable. There is little flavor to a rice paper wrapper and it tastes bland and starchy. They are often used to make summer rolls.
Ingredients
...Rice flour is made by grinding the rice grain. Rice flour can be made using white or brown rice, though white rice flour is used far more frequently than brown rice flour. White rice flour is white and fine like a wheat flour, but has a coarser and drier texture. Rice flour made from glutinous rice has a much finer texture and is almost like a powder. White rice flour can be used for baked goods, as well as pan-cooked flatbreads. It is useful in many savory and sweet applications. The flavor is bland.
...Tapioca starch, also called tapioca flour or tapioca powder is made from the root of the cassava plant. The root is turned into a pulp using water and once the water evaporates the starch is what remains. The starch is white, fine and powdery. It has a neutral and bland starchy taste. Tapioca starch is used as binder in baked goods, a thickening agent in sauces and other liquids and creates a light and airy quality in flour products when used in the right amount.
...Salt is a mineral composed mostly of sodium chloride. It is the main flavoring used in food and is naturally occurring in certain foods, such as cheese, beets, meat and celery, plus many others. Salt is white and has finer granules than sugar. Many commercial salts include iodide, while others exclude it. Most salts are white, while some are naturally pale pink with minerals. Salt brings out the flavor of something and can create a tangy mouthfeel, if used in excess.
...Water is a substance and chemical compound made up of hydrogen and oxygen. It is clear, fluid, flavorless and odorless. Water is a necessity in nearly every aspect of life, including cooking, baking and hydrating the human body. Water can be served as a cold beverage, or at any temperature comfortable to the mouth and skin.