Crispy Shrimp Dumplings with Rice Paper
This is a recipe that Mom would say, “so what? we’ve been making this for ages”. Yeah, these crispy shrimp dumplings with rice paper are like small crispy Vietnamese rice paper spring rolls but I wouldn’t want to argue with her. Rice paper shrimp dumplings are just a tik tok viral phenomenon that the world is loving. So it might be old to her, but new to the rest of the online world. Sorry, Mom! – Diane
Rice Paper Shrimp Dumplings vs Vietnamese Shrimp Egg Rolls
Ok, so why is it a dumpling instead of a crispy shrimp spring roll or egg roll? It’s because the smaller bite size shape that makes it more of a “dumpling”. Traditional Vietnamese egg rolls or spring rolls are made with rice paper, just like these little dumplings. But the traditional rice epaper spring roll shape is longer, not small, not square, not triangle and nor round. So it’s nothing new to the older generation of Vietnamese cooks like my parents. But what makes it new is that the shape is familiar to so many younger generation of cooks, particularly gen z and millentials on social media. I concede to the dumpling argument because these are damn tasty and personally, I’m ok with a small bite shaped spring roll. Sorry, Mom.
What do rice paper shrimp dumplings taste like?
It tastes just like a familiar Crispy Vietnamese rice paper spring roll or egg roll that I grew up eating. And, it’s what we are still eating to this day. But the rice paper wrapper is thinner, crispier and lighter than the traditional flour based egg roll wrappers. The fillings are the same but it’s the exterior crunch of light flaky rice paper that makes these dumplings exquisite. When I bite into these dumplings, i still experience the same familiar flavors and textures of Mom’s homemade rice paper spring rolls. Only difference is that the servings are smaller, as long as we adhere to just 2-3. This will be tough.
Video: Rice Paper Shrimp Dumplings Recipe
How to work with rice paper
Everything about this recipe is straight forward and quite simple. But if you’ve never cooked or worked with rice paper before, then there is a learning curve.
- Back in 2008 we wrote a lengthy tutorial on how to wrap rice paper for spring rolls here. This will guide you on how long or how quick to soak the rice paper. Please check out this tutorial because it has lots of pictures and guidance on how not to screw up. And it sucks if you screw up the rice paper part.
- Use warm water, slightly cooler than bath temp. It will soften the paper nicely and give you more elasticity to work with. And when you dip it, just dip for a few seconds. It will continue to absorb the water and soften. And the warmer the water, the quicker you need to dip it.
- When frying in the pan, don’t let the rice paper dumplings touch each other. The rice paper will stick as they cook and bubble on the sides. If you add too many in a pan at once you’ll end up with one big dumpling.
- Check out our recipe box below where there’s all the helpful info and pictures to guide you through this recipe.
Crispy Shrimp Dumplings with Rice Paper
Ingredients
For the Shrimp Filling
- 1 pound (454 g) raw shrimp , peeled and deveined
- 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) peeled and minced fresh ginger
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 3 stalks green onions , minced
- 3 Tablespoons (45 ml) minced cilantro
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) fish sauce or soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) sugar (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) ground black pepper
For the Dumplings
- 8-10 rice paper sheets
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) frying oil (vegetable or grapeseed oil), or more if needed
For the Vietnamese Fish Sauce Dip (Nước chấm or simply, Nước mắm)
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) fish sauce , we prefer Flying Lion Phu Quoc
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) water
- 3 Tablespoons (45 ml) fresh lime juice , or to personal taste
- 1 Tablespoon (15 ml) sugar , or to personal taste
- 3 cloves garlic , crushed or minced
- 1-2 fresh Thai chilies , or to personal taste
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) grated or minced fresh ginger , optional
Instructions
Make the Shrimp Filling
- If you’re using thawed frozen shrimp, make sure they’re completely thawed and use a paper towel to squeeze out excess moisture.
- Finely chop the 1 pound (454g) of raw shrimp (it should be almost paste/mashed like – if it is too coarse, the patties won’t hold together well. We don't use egg or bread crumbs in this recipe so the fine, paste-like texture is what holds the shrimp cake together).
- Place finely chopped shrimp in bowl and add the 1 Tablespoon (15ml) ginger, 3 cloves minced garlic, minced green onions, 3 Tablespoons (45ml) minced cilantro, 2 teaspoons (10ml) fish sauce, 2 teaspoons (10ml) sesame oil, optional 2 teaspoon (5ml) sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon (2.5ml) black pepper. Mix everything together until evenly combined.
Make the Dumplings
- Dip the rice paper in warm water for about 4-5 seconds, no more than that. It should still be slightly firm when you remove from water. If the rice paper is all shriveled up after taking it out of the water, then you'll have problems.
- Quickly fold the wet rice paper in half, then gently tear it in half. This give you two wrappers to work with. Another option is to cut the rice paper in half while it's still dry. Then dip each half in the warm water.
- Lay the wet rice paper on a cutting board or plate. The rice paper will become soft, sticky and very gelatinous as it lays for a few seconds. Add about 1 Tablespoon of the shrimp filling in the center of the rice paper.
- Working quickly, fold the long ends of the rice paper over the dumpling.
- Then fold the ends over to seal the dumpling. The rice paper will be sticky at this point so you don't need to use anything else to seal the ends. The edges will seal themselves.
- Add some oil to a heated pan. We like to pan fry them because this uses less oil. But if you want them to cook quicker and more golden, then add more oil to the pan to deep fry them. Add as much oil as you feel comfortable with. Lay the dumplings seam-side down in the pan but don't let them touch each other. As they cook, the edges will become sticky and you don't want a bunch of dumplings all stuck together.
- Cook the dumplings on medium-high heat then flip to cook both sides to a golden brown. If you're worried about the shrimp filling being cooked enough, then cut one in half to see. If it's still raw, then cook the dumplings a little longer.
- Serve with a dumpling sauce or our Vietnamese fish sauce dip.
Make the Vietnamese Fish Sauce Dip
- Combine all fish sauce dip ingredients (1/4 cup (60ml) fish sauce, 1/2 cup (120ml) water, 3 Tablespoons (45ml) lime juice, 1 Tablespoon (15ml) sugar, chopped chiles, crushed or minced garlic, and optional grated or minced ginger) in a bowl and stir until the sugar is fully dissolved. Or combine in a mason jar, and shake the dickens out of it until the sugar is fully dissolved (make sure the lid is fully secure before shaking – a fish sauce spray across the kitchen would be quite aromatic.)
Video
Nutrition Information per Serving
Best Rice Paper for Spring Rolls?
There’s many brands out there but here’s a few of our go-to brands. They’re not too thin to where they will break on you constantly. It’s nice to work with rice paper that isn’t too delicate to the touch. For all your food geeks, here’s an interesting discussion on the origins of spring rolls.
I’m in love with these little dumplings. What a great recipe.ย