Pad Thai Spring Rolls

Pad Thai Sauce

• 2 tablespoons tamarind juice
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 2 tablespoons palm sugar

Spring Roll filling

• 6 ounces rice stick noodle (Chantaboon, aka Pho noodles) OR 1/2 pound shredded green papaya
• 1 tablespoon grape seed oil
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 12 medium-large shrimp (shell and tail off; split in half, lengthwise) OR firm tofu
• 12 rice spring roll wrappers (8" in diameter)
• 6 romaine lettuce leaves (separate from rib to make 12 leaves)
• 1/4 cup cilantro, leaves only
• 1/4 cup mint, leaves only
• 1/2 cup carrots, cut in matchsticks
• 1/2 cup persian or japanese cucumber, cut into matchsticks
• 1/4 cup crushed peanut

1. Make the Pad Thai sauce by stirring the ingredients together. If using noodles, soak the noodles in warm water for 15 minutes and drain. OPTIONAL: quick pickle the carrots and cucumber by dissolving 2 tablespoons of sugar with 3/8 cup rice vinegar. Let the carrots and cucumber soak until ready to use.
2. Heat the oil and brown the garlic. Add the sauce and allow to bubble. Lower the hear to medium and add the papaya or noodles. Coat the noodles/papaya and remove from the pan.
3. Quickly stir-fry or boil the shrimp until pink.
4. Prepare a bowl of warm water to prepare the wrappers. Working with each wrapper individually, soak one until pliable.
5. Place the wrapper on a flat surface and place the romaine leaf, noodle or papaya, shrimp (2 halves), cucumber (3 matchsticks), carrots (3 matchsticks), cilantro (4-5 leaves), mint (3-4 leaves) and sprinkle of peanut.
6. To keep one end open, place the filling at the edge of the wrapper, a quarter of the way from the bottom. Fold the bottom over the filling, then fold the right end over and roll tightly to close.
7. Serve with a dipping sauce of sweet chili (http://www.food52.com/recipes/6439_thai_sweet_chili_sauce), crushed peanuts and a squeeze of lime.