Rice paper is truly a unique ingredient. When soaked in hot water, it becomes clear and flexible allowing you to make transparent wraps.

The other great thing about having see-through rolls is that you don’t have to bake it, so you can pack them full of raw veggies. They look colourful and go well with a wide range of dips such as schezuan, chili garlic and ginger sesame. This time, I decided to make a Thai peanut, ginger and sesame sauce; a super easy homemade szechuan-type sauce. The thicker spicy and nutty flavour goes well with the simple salad wraps.

These are also known as summer rolls, but they’re good for any season. I kept mine simpler because I’ve been bingeing on really filling food all holidays and wanted something a little lighter. If you want to add an ingredient for a little more protein, you can use thinly sliced cooked egg or extra firm tofu, drained and sliced.

I served mine up on a bed of lettuce, left the salad rolls cold and dipped them in the warm spicy peanut sauce I mention above. These wraps are light but satisfying, and the dip really gives them a nice kick.

Ingredients

Serves 2

For Salad Rolls:

• 2 cups boiling water
• 10 rice paper wraps
• 1 carrot, peeled and grated
• 1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 leaves romaine lettuce, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup vermicelli noodles, cooked and rinsed with cold water
• 1/2 cup red pepper, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup white button mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp. fresh ginger, grated

For Spicy Thai Peanut Ginger Sauce:

• 2 tbsp. sesame oil
• 1 tsp. green curry paste
• 2 tbsp. fresh ginger, grated
• 1/4 tsp. sriracha hot sauce
• 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter

Method

Pour the boiling water into a large bowl, and place one individual rice paper wrap into the hot water. Let it sit, completely covered, for 20 seconds until softened and transparent. Safely remove the wraps making sure not to burn your hands, or rip the paper.

Place the wrap on a clean and dry surface. Put a small amount of each ingredient into the centre of the wrap, leaving a bit of space around the edges except at the very front (the part closest to you). Carefully take the back of the wrap and roll it slightly inward towards the centre. From left to right, roll the wrap so that the back is closed off and the front is open so you can see all of the ingredients. Repeat with remaining wraps.

In a small saucepan, heat sesame oil on medium heat. Add the green curry paste and let simmer for 1 minutes. Add ginger and hot sauce, and mix well. Turn the heat to the lowest setting, and add peanut butter, stirring so that it melts in with all the ingredients. Stir until the sauce is a consistent texture and colour, then serve immediately with prepared rolls.

I’d also just like to remind everyone to submit their favourite recipes in the comments of that post or to my email. The winning recipe will be cooked and posted!