When it’s hot, you don’t want to be sweating over a hob or faffing around in a hot kitchen. This recipe for summer rolls is the perfect midweek lunch for days when you’re working from home and want to grab something nutritious to eat on the balcony, in the garden or at your overheating laptop.

They’re fresh, light and easy to modify. Saiphin Moore, chef and co-founder of Rosa’s Thai, learned how to make this dish for the first time when she was living in Hong Kong. Although traditionally, fresh rolls in Vietnam are made with shredded pork or prawns, this vegan version uses peanut sauce as a protein source.

These rolls use lettuce, carrot, mint, basil and coriander leaves for a crunchy and fragrant bite, but you can change the veg you use. Why not finely slice some sweet red pepper or chuck in some torn-up sorrel and spinach? You could add slices of smoked tofu or tempeh to increase the protein content.

Because they have a mild flavour, be sure to dip them in a bowl of sauce, whether that’s sweet chilli, peanut or tamarind.

6 rice paper sheets (spring roll wrappers) with a diameter of 16cm (available from Asian shops)

Sweet chilli dipping sauce, to serve

For the filling

• 140g dried rice vermicelli
• 250g iceberg lettuce, shredded
• 100g carrot, shredded
• 30g mint leaves, roughly chopped
• 30g fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped
• 30g sweet Thai basil (or Italian basil), roughly chopped (0ptional)

1. First, cook the vermicelli for the filling. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. While that’s on the go, soak the vermicelli in a bowl of warm water for 15 minutes, then drain. 

2. Once the water hits a rolling boil, carefully drop the vermicelli into the pan and cook for 1–2 minutes, then drain and leave to cool to room temperature.

3. Fold. Tuck. Roll. To make the rolls, fill a large shallow bowl with warm water. Take a sheet of rice paper and dip it into the water for 3-5 seconds, until translucent, then place it on a clean work surface. Tips: Make sure the paper rolls don’t become too soft, otherwise you won’t be able to wrap them easily. 

4. Put a quarter of the lettuce in a mound in the centre of the paper, followed by a quarter of the carrot, mint, coriander, basil and vermicelli.

5. To roll up, fold the side of the wrapper closest to you over the filling, ensuring it is tucked in neatly and tightly over the filling. 

6. Next, fold the right side of the wrapper toward the centre, pulling it taut across the filling, and press down the edges of the wrapper to seal. Repeat with the left side. Now roll up the filling in the wrapper, pushing the roll away from you, to create a log-shaped parcel.

7. Serve with a dipping sauce of your choice: sweet chilli or peanut sauce.  To make a basic peanut sauce, simply blitz together some peanut butter, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, a little sugar, some fresh garlic and ginger, and a little water.

Recipe and image: Rosa’s Thai