Rice Noodle Rolls

​I probably have no idea what I'm talking about because to be honest, I don't know too much about Asian food besides that I love and want to eat all of the noodle-things. I've come across "steamed rice rolls" a couple of times now and was dying to figure out how to make them at home.

​If I were to explain them to someone that's never seen/heard of them before I would say that they are sheets of thick white rice noodles, rolled up and sliced into bite size portions. That said, think of pad see ew - the really thick rice noodles, rolled up just like a fruit roll up. Once the rice noodle is steamed, it becomes really soft, slippery and chewy.

 A couple of years ago I bought the ingredients to make my own rice noodles and it was such a fail that I never tried again. I'll leave that part up to the experts. If anyone knows an easy recipe for making rice noodles, let a girl know!

There are so many different kind of Asian noodles. I'm sure there are plenty of brands out there and I probably am not using the best one since I randomly tried to pull this off the other day without plotting too much or even asking anyone at the store if I had the right stuff. The rice noodle that I bought came completely folded up in a package from the refrigerator in the back of Tink Holl Market, which is in CLE's Asia Town. The package says "Natures Soy Rice Noodle" and below is a photo of what it looks like. The noodles were sort of stiff, and folded up kind of like a blanket.

Most restaurants serve steamed rice rolls  with hoison sauce - and I can't eat that due to my peanut allergy. The rice noodle itself is really plain, so you can basically put whatever sauce you want with it. I prefer either, or both dark Japanese soy sauce (that you can find at Whole Foods) and then Lao Gan Ma Chili Crisp Sauce (that you can buy at an Asian grocery store or on Amazon.) 

​I would say that one of the packets of rice noodles I used is enough for two people to share. I ended up with around 18 bite size pieces.

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• 1 package of pre-made rice noodle sheets (see above for the brand I used, you'll most likely have to get from your local Asian grocery store, they aren't easy to find!)
• 2 tablespoons of dark soy sauce + more for dipping 
• 2 tablespoons of spicy chili crisp sauce or chili oil combined with red pepper flakes
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 stalks of scallions, chopped

1. Poke a hole  on the top of each side of the package, 4 slits the size of standard knife, then microwave for a minute. This will steam the noodle sheets.​
2. ​Remove the top part of the package and check to see if the noodles are heated properly. They should feel like a jelly texture, and shouldn't be hard at all, or else they will break and rip when you try to unravel them, so be careful while checking. If they are still kind of hard in the middle of the folds, keep microwaving at 30 second increments until  the noodles are really soft.
3. ​Let the noodles cool for second before you start to  unfold them. Find a clean flat surface and spray with pam, or rub a little vegetable oil on it so that the noodles won't stick.
4. ​Once unfolded, you should have sheets that are about 6" long. One by one, lay out each sheet and roll it up sort of like a fruit roll up. Leave about 1/2 inch on the first fold so that they are a bit wider once rolled up.
5. ​Place each roll side by side on the oiled flat surface - it's important that they are touching so that when you slice them, the bite-sized pieces will be even in size.
6. ​​If you're a freak like me, cut off the very ends of the rolls to have straight edges. Then slice up the rolls into little bite sized pieces. 
7. ​Use a big spatula to transfer the rolls onto a plate. Warm the noodles in the microwave for 30-60 seconds and then douse them in the soy sauce and chili oil. Sprinkle the fresh minced garlic and scallions.
8. ​The final and best step. EAT.