Teriann Carty

Dampen two tea towels and layer them on a cookie sheet. You will be putting the finished rolls between the towels so they don’t dry out before you serve.

Put some hot tap water in a large bowl. Slip a rice paper sheet into the water and let soak until soft (30 to 60 seconds). The sheet should be pliable enough so that you can roll it around the fillings without tearing but not so firm that it will be chewy.

Place the softened sheet flat on a cutting board and arrange a few pieces each of the carrot, cucumber, pepper, and cabbage. Add a few leaves of basil and mint. The fillings should be near the middle of the sheet (back to front) and should be at least an inch from the edges (side to side). Grab the edge of the sheet that is farthest from you and fold it back over the fillings.

Fold the side edges up to close the ends of the roll. Then roll the bundled fillings back towards you.

Put the completed roll between the damp tea towels and start again until you run out of ingredients or rice paper. Filling and rolling is something that can be fun for kids (or adults) to do either with you or while you are preparing the rest of the meal.

Whisk all the ingredients for the dipping sauce in a small bowl except for the water.

Add two tablespoons of the water and whisk again and see if the consistency of the sauce is runny enough to allow the rolls to be dipped without breaking but not so runny so that it won’t stick to the rolls.

Transfer the rolls and the dipping sauce to serving dishes and garnish with sesame seeds and peanuts.