Sheet-Pan Rice Noodle Rolls with Sweet Soy Drizzle

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Silky steamed rice noodle rolls made without a specialty steamer — just a metal sheet pan set over an inch of boiling water in a covered roasting pan. The whole dish lives and dies on the batter ratio: three parts water to one part flour-and-starch by weight gives sheets that are glossy and tender enough to roll, never thick or gummy. A five-minute sweet soy drizzle and a shower of scallions finish them, exactly like the plate that lands on a Cantonese BBQ house table.

Ingredients

• 150 g white rice flour (about 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon; Thai-style, not glutinous)
• 20 g tapioca starch (about 2 1/2 tablespoons)
• 10 g cornstarch (about 1 tablespoon)
• 3/4 tsp fine salt
• 540 g cold water (2 1/4 cups)
• 2 tsp neutral oil, plus more for the pan

• 1/3 cup water
• 3 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp dark soy sauce
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 slices fresh ginger, smashed
• 1 scallion, white part, smashed
• 1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil

• 3 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
• chili oil or chili-garlic sauce, for serving (optional)

Instructions

1. Make the batter first so it can rest: in a bowl, whisk together the rice flour, tapioca starch, cornstarch, and salt. Pour in the cold water in three additions, whisking smooth after each, then whisk in the 2 teaspoons oil. The batter should be thin — about the consistency of whole milk — and it will coat a spoon only in a translucent film. Let it rest 30 minutes at room temperature while you set up the steamer.
2. Set up the steam rig: place a 9x13-inch quarter sheet pan (or an 8-inch square or round metal cake pan) inside a large roasting pan or a wide stockpot, resting it on two canning jar rings, a small wire rack, or three balls of crumpled foil so steam can circulate underneath. Add 1 inch of water to the roasting pan, keeping it below the rim of the sheet pan. Cover with a tight lid or a doubled sheet of heavy foil, set over one or two burners, and bring to a hard boil.
3. Make the drizzle: combine the water, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar, ginger, and smashed scallion white in a small saucepan. Simmer over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes, until the sugar dissolves and it reduces slightly. Off the heat, stir in the sesame oil, discard the ginger and scallion, and keep warm.
4. Have your rolling station ready before you steam: a bench scraper or wide flexible spatula, a small bowl of oil with a pastry brush, and a lightly oiled cutting board or platter.
5. Steam the first sheet: lift the lid, brush the hot sheet pan with a thin film of oil, then stir the batter well (the starch settles fast) and ladle in 1/3 cup, tilting the pan so it spreads in an even, very thin layer barely covering the metal. Cover immediately and steam over high heat for 3 to 4 minutes, until the sheet is fully opaque, large bubbles have risen and set, and the surface looks glossy and slightly wrinkled.
6. Roll it: carefully lift the pan out with tongs or oven mitts, set it on a trivet, and let it cool for 60 to 90 seconds — this is when the sheet firms up enough to release. Brush the surface lightly with oil, then use the bench scraper to loosen one long edge and roll the sheet up on itself into a loose log about 1 1/2 inches thick. Transfer to the oiled board.
7. Repeat with the remaining batter, stirring it before every single pour and re-oiling the pan each time. Wipe any condensation out of the pan between rounds and top up the boiling water as needed. You should get 6 to 8 sheets. Stack the finished rolls in a single layer so they don't fuse.
8. Cut each roll crosswise into 2-inch lengths and pile them on a warm platter. Spoon the sweet soy drizzle generously over the top, scatter with sliced scallions and sesame seeds, and add chili oil to taste. Serve immediately while the rolls are still warm and slippery.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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