Asian Food - Pork and papaya spring rolls.

So I'm back. Sorry guys, I've been quite busy these times by my degree and the exam I've passed for THE school. I hadn't much time to cook - unfortunately. But guess what? I'm on holidays and this means that I'm gonna live in the kitchen 20H/24 (not kidding). So to celebrate this come back and the coming -FINALLY- of spring, here is a simple, light and tasty recipe for those who'd like to try green papaya in a new way.

Green papaya is the unripe version and it is usually served raw or cooked in a salad in the South East Asia area. For instance, green papaya salad is one of the most famous dishes of Thailand and it is generally served with sticking rice and grilled chicken - no need to mention how tasteful it is, right?!




Ingredients:

for 10 spring rolls

- 10 rice paper

- 1 medium green papaya

- 2 or 3 carrots

- pork (as you like)

- soy sauce

- 1 bird-eye chili

- lemon grass


for the sauce:

- 8 tbspoons rice vinegar

- 6 tbspoons granulated sugar

- 2 tbspoons water

- 1 tbspoon fish sauce


Directions:

1) Marinate the pork with the chopped bird-eye chili and lemon grass and the soy sauce. Put in the fridge for at least 30min. Then, cook it in a frying-pan and chop it when cooled down;

2) Grate the green papaya and the carrots in a bowl;

3) Now, that's the most perilous part of the recipe because rice paper is very fragile and must be used immediately after having been wet. So I advise you to pour some water in a plate; dip the rice paper in the plate for a few seconds, just the right time for it to soften; remove it and use it immediately without wiping it;

4) Put some of the papaya-carrot salad on one side of the rice paper; Add the pork and roll the spring roll ( if you're not familiar with the "rolling method", check out our other spring roll recipe)

5) Serve with the sauce and mint and salad leaves. They can also be put in the fridge but I advise you to eat them the day they're made; otherwise the rice paper will somewhat dry.


How to make the sauce:

1) Put all the ingredients in a saucepan and let the mixture boil until it caramelizes and then remove from heat.


Enjoy,

B.