• 1/2 cup rice vinegar
  • 1/2 cup agave nectar
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 3 tablespoons fish sauce
  • 2 tablespoons dry sherry
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 to 1 tablespoon dried crushed chili flakes (to your taste)
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 3-4 tablespoons cool water
  • 2 packages rice paper
  • 1/2 Boston or Bibb lettuce, torn
  • 1/2 cup grated carrots
  • 1/2 of an English cucumber, julienned
  • Handful of cilantro rough chopped
  • 1 package rice papers

Amanda is visiting us this evening. She and Nathaniel are cooking up a stir fry for everyone. I have the night off! I have been wanting to make the wonderful salad wraps that Mike and I had at our friend’s Ed and Heba’s last weekend, but couldn’t find rice paper. Ed and Heba were once contestants on the Biggest Loser. Heba was sent home at the very end, but won the $100,000 prize. I love them!

I chose sushi wrappers and they were really good. My favorite was the sesame seed wrapper. I will be sure to find my way to the Asian Market this week, so that I can experiment with rice papers next time.

In a saucepan, bring to a boil rice vinegar, agave nectar, water, fish sauce, dry sherry, garlic and crushed chili flakes. Reduce by half which typically takes between 7 to 10 minutes.

In a small bowl combine cornstarch and water. Stir into the mixture and cook an additional two minutes. You can add more agave nectar if you’d like it sweeter or more chili flakes if you desire more heat. Place in a serving bowl and set aside.

Assemble salad rolls by adding a little torn lettuce, cucumber, grated carrot and of course chopped cilantro which adds tremendous flavor. Tuck the sides up and then roll tightly. Cut in half and serve along side spicy chili sauce. Beautiful, refreshing and delicious.

Note: You can also use rice papers, but you must soak them for a second before using. Store teem on a damp paper towel and then refrigerate to make cold before serving.

These salad wraps also make delicious and pretty appetizers when cut in half on an angle!