a burrito of sorts: the summer roll

I've had a package of Vietnamese rice paper wrappers for about a year now. Guess what? They're fine! My friend Gloria brought over some organic basil, and we made these with seared tofu, cucumber, carrots, and alfalfa sprouts. But you can use shrimp and mint or whatever ingredients you want. The glass mung bean noodles weren't quite the standard rice vermicelli, but they were fine and suited our purposes well. The result, dipped in a nuoc cham sauce was refreshing, delicious, and surprisingly filling. Much more of a success story, said Gloria, than her previous attempt (made with beef brisket and salsa...see, you can put anything in these).

Making these summer rolls provides you with all the joys of cooking that one keeps hearing about, without the sweat and tears. The fragrance of the fresh basil hits you as does the visual pleasure in seeing all the colorful elements of your roll peek through the translucent wrapper, made delicate and pliable after a reconstituting dip in a bowl of water. Nevermind structural theory, place the most aesthetically pleasing items first so they will be sure to appear through the wrapper.

The most difficult part was julienning the carrots, which I then marinated in some of the fish sauce-based nuoc cham sauce. And I would, next time, press the firm tofu with a weighted plate for a few minutes to get the water out, then slice in strips and sear it on all sides. You can also dab a bit of Hoisin on the tofu, if you like. Here are more detailed instructions on wrapping a summer roll, along with a recipe for a peanut sauce.

Here is the recipe for the nuoc cham dipping sauce, which I prefer over a peanut sauce. The parentheticals are my notes.

Adapted from The Greatest Dishes: Around the World in 80 Recipes by Anya Von Bremzen.

Makes 11/3 cups.

• 5 tablespoons of sugar
• 2/3 cup water
• 1/3 cup fresh lime juice
• 6 or 7 tablespoons fish sauce, to taste (I used Golden Boy, which is supposed to be a good brand, along with these brands.)
• 1 large garlic clove, crushed
• 3 or 4 red bird's eye chilies, thinly sliced (optional)
• 2 to 3 tablespoons cilantro (optional)

In a small saucepan, heat the water and sugar until the sugar dissolves. Let cool. Add the other ingredients. Let stand for 30 minutes before serving.

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