f you're not familiar with these little delicacies – also known as fresh spring rolls – then my, you've got a treat in store. Cucumber granita aside, they're just about the freshest thing I can imagine: a jumble of crunchy raw vegetables, soft, aromatic leaves and cool, squidgy noodles, all stuffed snugly into a featherlight rice wrapper.
In fact, summer rolls were what first hooked me on the fresh flavours of Vietnamese cooking: so much lighter and punchier than the fried snacks I was expecting. Gourmet magazine's description – "a salad packed into an edible container" – sums them up nicely.
Once you've mastered the basics, you can play around with the recipe to your heart's content (and it ought to be content: many