Vietnamese Cold summer rolls

These easy rolls are filled with tofu and fresh vegetables, but they can be filled with other ready-to-eat ingredients as well, including cooked chicken, shrimp, sweet potato, bean sprouts, vermicelli rice noodles and asparagus.

The trick to quick assembly is placing the filling inside a lettuce leaf that then goes inside the wrapper. Thinh is a Vietnamese seasoning that can be found in Asian grocery stores. Laab-namtok is a Thai seasoning blend available in Asian grocery stores, but you can substitute your favourite chili powder.

Makes: 10 large rolls

For the rolls:

■ 1 cup (250 ml) each of carrot, jicama and red bell pepper matchsticks (2 to 3 inches/5-7.5 cm long)

■ 1 tbsp (15 ml) thinh

■ 1 tsp (5 ml) laab-namtok, or more as needed

■ Ten 10-inch (25-cm) round Vietnamese rice paper disks or spring roll wrappers

■ 1 cup (250 ml) basil leaves, preferably Thai basil, washed and patted dry ■ 1 cup (250 ml) cilantro leaves and tender stems, washed and patted dry

■ 2 red radishes, thinly sliced

■ 1/2 cup (125 ml) roasted sesame seeds (may substitute a mixture of black and white sesame seeds)

■ 10 leaves Bibb or romaine lettuce, washed and dried

■ 8 oz (226 g) smoked tofu, cut into thin strips 4 to 5 inches (1012 cm) long

■ 1 English cucumber, cut into 4- to 5-inch (10-to-12-cm) matchsticks 8 oz (226 g) enoki mushrooms

For the sauce:

■ 1/2 cup (125 ml) well-stirred coconut milk

■ 1 tsp (5 ml) chopped garlic

■ 1/4 cup (60 ml) chunky peanut butter

■ 1 tsp (5 ml) low-sodium soy sauce

■ Water (optional)

■ 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) chili garlic sauce

■ 2 tsp (10 ml) chopped roasted unsalted peanuts, for garnish

1. For the rolls: Combine carrots, jicama and red pepper in a bowl. Add thinh and laab-namtok, tossing until well coated.

2. Fill a large bowl with warm water and spread a clean kitchen towel on your work surface.

3. Take a look at the wrapper: you’ll notice a pattern on one side while the other side is smooth.

4. Dip a wrapper into the water and then lay it on the towel, smooth side facing down. It should be just damp.

5. Lay several basil and cilantro leaves and some of the radish slices on the wrapper a couple of inches from the edge closest to you.

6. Sprinkle a teaspoon (5 ml) of the sesame seeds on the wrapper just above the herbs and radish.

7. Take a lettuce leaf (no more than 6 inches/15 cm long). Fill it with a few pieces each of tofu and cucumber, then add a good pinch of the carrot, jicama and red bell pepper mixture. Fold the edges of the lettuce leaf over the filling, then place it on top of the wrapper a couple of inches above the edge closest to you.

8. Grasp the closest edge of the wrapper and pull up over the top of the lettuce-leaf bundle, rolling once toward the top of the wrapper, wrapping it around the lettuce.

9. Pull the left and then the right sides of the wrapper over the ends toward the centre firmly, so you now have a straight edge on each side.

10. Tuck a few mushrooms into the crease of the wrapper with the tops of the mushrooms just sticking out, then continue to roll the wrapper firmly, like a cigar.

11. If the wrapper starts to dry out or crack, just dampen your fingers and use them to re-moisten the wrapper. Make sure the wrapper is sealed. Repeat to make 10 rolls. Refrigerate while you make the sauce. 12. For the sauce: Combine coconut milk and garlic in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once mixture begins to bubble, stir in peanut butter until completely incorporated. 13. Add soy sauce and continue stirring until blended; if the mixture is too thick, you can thin it with water, a little at a time, until you reach the desired consistency. Remove from the heat, then stir in the chili-garlic sauce. The yield is about 1 cup (250 ml).

14. When you’re ready to serve the rolls, transfer the sauce to a bowl and garnish it with peanuts.