got this recipe from the now-defunct Jane magazine, which I always used to get when travelling to Suluk - it provided a pulpy levity against the intensity of travelling to the Abode for esoteric training. Their take on entertaining was just my speed: the accompanying recipe for these rolls was "green curry for idiots" (which is also an excellent recipe, but that's for another day).

To make the rolls, the hardest part is finding the rice paper wrappers. They're dry and unrefrigerated, if that helps. I know Andronico's carries them if you're in the Bay Area, or perhaps you can find them at an Asian grocery near you.

It takes a little practice to work with them, but it's fun to experiment. Fill a large bowl (larger than the circumference of the wrapper) with warm water, and slip the wrapper in. Remove it just when one side becomes soft, about 15-25 seconds - that side can be the bottom of your roll, and the rest will continue softening as it absorbs the water. Remove it and place it on a cutting board so the soft edge hangs off, then put your fillings at the bottom edge of the board. Flip the soft edge up over the filling, fold the two sides over the filling, and roll up.

The filling they gave in the recipe was: cooked and cooled vermicelli noodles (also called rice sticks); slices of cucumber, mango, avocado, apple, and carrot; and mint and cilantro leaves. I change this up freely depending on what I have around though - the rolls pictured contain noodles, mint, spring salad mix, avocado, tangerine, and carrot. If you're omnivorous they'd be great with shrimp or ground meat.

Accompanying sauce recipe after the jump.