VIETNAMESE RICE PAPER ROLLS

As Chennai goes through another sweltering summer, dishes like these offer a brief respite from both the cooking and eating perspectives. Other than the tofu which gets a quick fry in the pan, there’s no other cooking involved. Admittedly, they’re a bit fiddly to assemble and here—do as I say, not as I do—don’t overstuff them. But if you ARE of the overstuffing bent, I may have a nifty trick to contain them: double up on your rice paper.

Using two sheets instead of one gives you a sturdier base and better insurance against tears. I’ve played around with a few different techniques. Overlapping them like a little Venn diagram was one. This gives you longer rolls, though I found only the middle stayed intact while the sides gave out. But as with most things that require technique, the more rolls you make, the better you’ll get. And the more you’ll experiment until you land on your own custom rolling technique. Until then, doubling up is my suggestion to you.

Since the rolls themselves are fairly bland on their own, the sauce makes all the difference. There’s peanut butter for its unctuousness, soy, lime zest and juice, sugar, garlic, sesame, and chilli flakes (or Sriracha). Use any veg that you enjoy eating raw for the rolls themselves. I like red and yellow peppers, carrots, cucumbers, purple cabbage, lots of mint and coriander, and tofu. I also added some lightly steamed sprouted mung because I had a packet lying around. Choose your own adventure here.