I first had papaya salad when I was visiting Thailand back in 2011. Wow, I can’t believe how quickly the years have gone by. But, before I left for that trip, I had made papaya salad rolls. Ever since that first bite in Bangkok, I’ve been a lover of papaya salad. I order it almost every time I go out for Thai food, which usually means I then can’t finish my entrée (hello, leftovers!). The times I don’t order Thai papaya salad, I order Thai salad rolls.
How to Make Thai Spring Rolls
Step #1: Place the garlic and the green beans in a large zipper-close bag. Seal the bag, removing as much air as possible. Use a rolling pin or mallet to gently whack the green beans and garlic until the green beans are lightly bruised and the garlic is smashed into small pieces. Step #2: Add the carrots, tomatoes, papaya, peanuts, lime juice, brown sugar, chilies, and vegan fish sauce to the bag. Reseal and give everything a good toss. Massage with your hands for a few minutes, then transfer the contents of the bag to a fine mesh strainer set over a medium bowl. Press on the salad to extract as much liquid as possible. Reserve the liquid for the sauce. Step #3: Find a rimmed dish that is large enough to hold your rice paper. Fill it with an inch of room temperature water and set it on the counter. Place a damp tea towel next to this container. Working one rice paper at a time, submerge the rice paper into the water until pliable (mine took about 20 seconds). Do not over-soak. Transfer the soaked rice paper to the damp towel, laying it down in a flat circle. Step #4: Place one-quarter of the papaya salad on the rice paper, centered left-to-right, but three-quarters of the way down from the top. Fold the exposed bottom quarter of the paper up over the filling, then fold the entire roll over once. Fold in the left and right sides, then continue rolling until sealed. Step #5: Repeat with the remaining three papers and the rest of the papaya salad. Step #6: Transfer the reserved marinade to a serving bowl. Add two tablespoons of peanut butter and whisk until smooth. Add additional peanut butter if you prefer a thicker peanut dipping sauce (I used four tablespoons). Serve at once.
