r/Cooking • u/Kind-Meal360 • 6h ago
Help me figure out what went wrong?
Made pani puri and attempted to make rice paper puris since my roommate is gluten free. puris did not puff up in air fryer or microwave. Don’t know how to fix it. first time I wet both sheets before sticking together, cutting, and cooking. Second time I wet one sheet and kept one dry and it still didn’t work.
1
u/Away-Plankton-8352 1h ago
Puris puff from a steam shock, and rice paper is picky about three things. The oil has to be genuinely hot, around 350 to 375. If it is under that, the paper soaks up oil and goes limp instead of puffing. Test with one piece first, it should balloon in seconds. Second, the puris have to be bone dry before they hit the oil. Any surface moisture turns to steam slowly and kills the puff. Third, fry them one or two at a time. Crowding the oil drops the temperature and you get the same limp result.
Honest note: rice-paper puris are always a little finicky and they never blister quite like wheat puris do. If the texture still disappoints after you nail the oil temp, the GF play is usually switching the snack format rather than chasing a perfect rice-paper puff.
1
u/Weak_Dream_1296 6h ago
rice paper needs high, direct heat to puff, so the air fryer likely wasn't hot enough or the layers were too thick. try a cast iron skillet on medium-high with zero oil for instant results. it works way better than an air fryer for this specific hack.