Thai Cold Mango Roll

I have been getting Cold Mango Rolls at a Thai restaurant lately but noticed how easy and cheap they appeared to be to make myself at home.

Rather than about $3 each, I spent less than five dollars on all of the ingredients.

As I've mentioned before, I hate measuring ingredients.  (When baking, I will measure... but cooking? No, never.)  So these ingredient measurements are approximate.

Thai Cold Mango Roll

12 small Rice Papers (or 6 large)
2 Mangos
1/2 Red Pepper
12 Baby Carrots
6 leaves of Romaine Lettuce
1/2 cup Fresh Basil
100-150g White Rice Pasta (vermicelli or spaghetti)

Boil water for pasta and cook according to package instructions.
While pasta is cooking, wash and prepare your veggies and mango.  Cut them into small matchsticks.
Drain pasta and rinse with cold water.
Soak the rice paper until soft (about 30 seconds) and place on clean surface.  Pat dry.
Place veggies and noodles on the wrap.  Put the filling along the centre, on the top two thirds of the wrap.
Flip the buttom of the rice paper wrap up and roll in both sides tight, leaving the top end open.

Tips for future attempts:

• Get the larger rice paper, unless you're a pro.  I found it difficult to work with the small size.
• I discovered it was much easier to leave one end open rather than trying to ensure both ends were closed tightly.  For more detailed instructions, visit this website for pictures.  (I just found the site today, after I had already discovered the "easier" way to assemble.)
• Make sure you have fresh bay leaves - my local grocery store did not have them and I wasn't about to walk 20 minutes late at night to find some.  I did without but they were missing the basil flavour.
• Turns out, these rolls do not keep well in the fridge!!  I had extra that I took to my parents' house the next evening and by then, I was left with a pile of mush.  The rice paper seemed to dissolve between the rolls and it was not good at all.