Crispy Vegetable Rolls

This is basically a spring roll, Vietnamese in character. In typical fashion, we fill it with so many fresh vegetables and herbs that the result is extraordinary, the perfect starter for a vegetarian meal. And if you’re short on time, you can omit the frying; these are almost as good fresh as fried.

The basic idea is to have a variety of ingredients here, but you can do it with two vegetables or ten. (In the restaurant, we often use ten; at home, I’d use just a few.) In the winter,