Steamed Shrimp Rice Noodle Rolls with Sweet Soy

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Silky rice-flour crepes steamed in a wok, wrapped around snappy garlic shrimp and flooded with warm sweet soy. This is the Cantonese barbecue-shop classic done properly at home: a thin batter poured into a flat metal pan set over boiling water, steamed for three minutes until it blisters, then scraped up and rolled while hot. There's also a 15-minute cheat using store-bought fresh rice noodle sheets for weeknights.

Ingredients

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

• 12 oz medium raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp Shaoxing wine
• 1 clove garlic, finely grated
• 1/8 tsp white pepper
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

• 1 cup rice flour (135 g, not glutinous)
• 3 tbsp tapioca starch
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp wheat starch (optional, for extra clarity)
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 1/4 cups cool water
• 1 tbsp neutral oil, plus more for greasing

• 1 1/2 lb fresh rice noodle sheets (uncut cheung fun sheets, refrigerated)

• 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
• 1 tbsp chili oil or chili crisp

Instructions

1. Make the sauce: combine the water, light soy, dark soy, oyster sauce, sugar, ginger, and scallion white in a small saucepan. Simmer over medium-low heat for 5 minutes, until the sugar dissolves and it smells sweet and savory. Discard the aromatics, stir in the sesame oil, and keep warm.
2. Prep the shrimp: pat dry, then cut each shrimp in half lengthwise if larger than bite-size. Toss with the salt and baking soda and let sit 10 minutes, then rinse under cold water and pat very dry — this is what makes them snap. Toss with the cornstarch, Shaoxing wine, garlic, and white pepper. Refrigerate until you steam.
3. Mix the batter: whisk the rice flour, tapioca starch, cornstarch, wheat starch (if using), and salt in a bowl. Add the water in a stream while whisking until completely lump-free, then whisk in the oil. Let it rest 20 minutes. The batter should be thin, like heavy cream, and must be re-whisked before every single pour — the starch settles fast.
4. Set up the steamer: pour 2 inches of water into a 14-inch wok (or a wide pot) and bring to a hard boil. Set a low rack or ring inside. You want a flat 8-inch metal pan that fits with room to lift it out — a round cake pan, pie pan, or rimmed steel tray. Brush it lightly with oil.
5. Steam the first roll: place the pan on the rack, whisk the batter, and ladle in about 1/3 cup — just enough to coat the bottom in a paper-thin layer. Tilt to level it, scatter 5 or 6 pieces of shrimp and a pinch of scallion over the top, cover the wok, and steam over high heat for 3 to 4 minutes, until the sheet is translucent, bubbled, and the shrimp are pink and opaque.
6. Roll it: lift the pan out with tongs and set it on a rack for 30 seconds. Run an oiled bench scraper or thin spatula around the edge, then push the sheet from one side to fold it over on itself into a roll about 2 inches wide. Slide it onto an oiled plate and cut crosswise into 2-inch lengths. Re-oil the pan and repeat with the remaining batter and shrimp — you should get 6 to 8 rolls. If your pan is thin, dip it in the boiling water for a few seconds between rolls to heat it back up.
7. Shortcut version: let the rice noodle sheets come to room temperature (microwave, covered, in 20-second bursts if they are stiff and cracking). Peel off one sheet, cut it into roughly 6 by 8-inch rectangles, and lay a line of raw marinated shrimp and scallion across the short end. Roll up snugly and set seam-side down on an oiled plate. Steam the plate of rolls, covered, over boiling water for 5 to 6 minutes, until the shrimp are cooked through and the noodle is glossy and soft.
8. Serve immediately: arrange the rolls on a warm platter, spoon the hot sweet soy generously over and around them, and finish with sesame seeds, remaining scallion, cilantro, and chili oil on the side. Rice rolls firm up as they cool, so bring them to the table straight from the steamer.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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