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Chef Chris Cho making Rice Paper Shrimp Dumpling — This is how you make Rice Paper Shrimp Dumpling!

These Rice Paper Shrimp Dumplings are little pockets of deliciousness. It’s easy to make, super healthy, and perfect for all ages!

I love dumplings, but honestly the wrappers are extra carbs for my current diet. Recently, I’ve been using a lot of rice paper, and since it has no flavor, it’s super versatile that you can hydrate, steam, or fry them up and turn them into different dishes. My recent favorite has been making Fresh Spring Rolls with it!

This is the first time I tried making Shrimp Dumplings with rice paper. The filling is inspired by POV Husband’s Shrimp Pancake recipe, and it worked so well! By wrapping it in rice paper, I was able to air fry them using less oil! Win-win!!

The dumplings turned out crispy on the outside, tender and chunky on the inside. The rice paper also has a slight chewiness that adds a nice texture to the whole thing. Although you cannot make this ahead like the usual dumpling because the wrapper might dry up, it’s still a quick, easy, and healthy alternative that’s perfect as a light snack or yummy side dish!

What is Rice Paper?

Rice Paper is a thin, translucent sheet made from rice flour and water. The dough is then steamed, shaped, and dried. You need to hydrate it to use, and it’s ready to eat since it’s already cooked.

This is a very common pantry ingredient in Vietnam, and they use this in many of their dishes. Recently, it has gone viral on the internet because it has become an alternative to noodles, dimsum/dumpling wrappers, or even chips!

The best thing about it is that it’s low-calorie, low-carb, and gluten-free. You can find these in Asian groceries, and there are often many sheets in one pack so you can make a variety of recipes with it. Simply store in a cool, dry place. Next, I’ll be teaching you how to handle them properly, as it can get tricky if you’re new to using them.

How to Use Rice Paper

Things You’ll Need: You’ll need a rice paper dipping bowl, plate, or tray with room temperature water to hydrate the rice paper, and then a clean cutting board as your working station.
Hydrating the Rice Paper: Dip the whole rice paper once to moisten it; this should take no longer than 5 seconds. It will still look hard, but once it settles on the cutting board, it will continue to soften up.
Work Quickly and with Strategy: After wetting the rice paper, you need to work as fast as you can. What you need to do is have your filling and your folding technique ready so you simply fill and fold. If the rice paper gets a bit sticky, you have to carefully remove it from the work surface.
Recalibrate: Oversoaking may keep rice paper from crisping up and is also prone to tearing up, so discard soggy rice papers and start again. It may take a few tries, but you’ll get the hang of it!

Ingredients You’ll Need

Rice Paper
Shrimp – Fresh or frozen shrimp works for this recipe, but the key is to drain it well so it does not water down the filling later.
Imitation Crab – This adds a nice seafood and umami flavor to the filling, a great combo with the shrimp.
Scallions – Aromatics for freshness
Japanese Mayo – A small amount will make the filling moist and juicy
Salt and Pepper – To taste

Note: You can also use Mandu filling in place of this recipe if you want to use pork or beef to make a meaty dumpling.

How to Make Rice Paper Shrimp Dumplings

Chop the scallions, boil them for 30 seconds, then drain, wash, and squeeze out excess water using a paper towel. Chop the imitation crab as well.

Peel the shrimp, devein, then chop it up until it’s slightly turning into a paste.

Combine shrimp, imitation crab, scallions, salt, pepper, and Japanese mayo

In a bowl, combine scallions, shrimp, and imitation crab. You can also use a food processor to mince all the ingredients separately, then combine later, but I like that there are chunks in the dumpling filling.

Season with mayonnaise, salt, and pepper. Mix this well and set aside; meanwhile, prepare your wrapping station.

Fill the four parts of the rice paper with the shrimp mixture

Wet the rice paper and lay it on your cutting board. Imagine the rice paper divided into four parts, then add a tablespoon of filling (do not overfill!) in the middle of each part. Place another wet rice paper on top to seal the dumplings.

Seal the dumplings with another rice paper and divide it into four

Slice or cut the filled rice paper into four, then seal each dumpling. You can simply stick the rice papers together or roll up the edges. Repeat the process until you run out of filling.

Lightly spray dumplings with oil and air fry them at 375F for 10 minutes, flipping halfway through. Make sure not to crowd them as the rice paper may stick to each other. Alternatively, you can also pan fry these with a little bit of oil if you don’t have an air fryer.

Serving Rice Paper Shrimp Dumplings

These shrimp dumplings are great to be served as they are for snacking. Best with mustard, but can also be served with cho ganjang.

They can also accompany meals like egg fried rice, kimchi fried rice, zaru soba, kimchi udon, etc. It makes any simple meal fuller and more satisfying.

The shrimp dumplings are best consumed immediately, as the rice paper may turn brittle later on, and honestly, I don’t think you’ll have any leftovers. Lol!

Other healthy snacks you might like:

Make sure to leave a rating, a comment, or tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Tiktok when you chop them up! Yeobosayo!

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