I just found an Asian market near me and I’ve been having a blast trying out weird (yeah, it’s ethnocentric to say “weird”. I don’t care. Weird does NOT equal bad or inferior and some of this stuff is weird. And I’m scared to try the Durian fruit.)new foods.
Anyway, now that I have a source, I’m trying my hand at spring rolls. But how the heck do I rehydrate them? I’ve tried soaking 'em. They disintigrate. Boiling? The same. Steaming? They stay hard enough to shatter. Then, eventually, they turn to moosh. There doesn’t seem to be any time between shards and moosh. It seems to convert from one state to the other instantly.
Are you talking about the circular, transparent rice thingies used for cold Vietnamese-style spring rolls? The best luck I have had is to take a flat, shallow container big enough to hold the wrapper. I use a cookie sheet with a rim all the way around. Fill it with about 1/4 inch of warm (not hot) water. Soak the wrapper for about 20 second, or until it is pliable. Wrap it around the filling and then put the rolls under damp towels until ready to eat.
I’ve had some luck using those bamboo sushi-wrapping mats, too. BTW - some places call them Summer rolls, and call the deep-fried ones Spring rolls, and other places call the fresh ones Spring rolls.
Yep, you are soaking them too long if they disintegrate. I’ve always thought that spring rolls are pan fried and summer rolls are not cooked after they are rolled.