I’m not a huge sushi fan — I can eat it from time to time, but without much enthusiasm. Sometimes the family asks for sushi, and I have little motivation to prepare dishes I’m not crazy about. In those moments, instead of sushi, I make these rice paper rolls. Less work, no cooking or seasoning rice, and the end result is just as satisfying — at least for us. It’s a great dish for hot days, when you feel like eating something light and preferably cold.

My rolls are the veggie version with pieces of fried tofu. You can also use pieces of fish (raw, smoked, or baked). 

The constant elements are really just nori sheets and pickled ginger — the rest of the fillings everyone can adjust to their own taste.

I won’t give exact proportions for the fillings. The number of nori sheets should be half the number of  rice paper sheets. Each nori sheet will be divided in half.

Sushi-Style Rolls

rice paper sheets

nori sheets

pickled ginger

carrot

bell pepper

avocado

cucumber

white part of leek

optional: tofu, fish

Fold each nori sheet in half and gently tear it. You’ll get two narrow strips.

Wash the vegetables, peel if needed, and cut into batons. Remove the seeds from the cucumbers.

Drizzle the sliced avocado with lemon juice to prevent browning.

To make rolling easier, the vegetable batons should be of equal length, ideally the same as the shorter side of the nori strip. I cut one carrot baton, place it on the nori sheet, and trim it so the length fits. Then I cut the rest of the vegetables into batons of roughly the same length.

Prepare the rice paper according to the instructions on the package. Pour lukewarm water into a shallow, wide dish (I use a well-washed frying pan). Place a sheet of rice paper in and soak until softened. Transfer the rice paper onto a cutting board, place a nori sheet in the centre. About 2cm from the left edge, arrange the vegetables, optional extras, and slices of pickled ginger. Fold the rice paper from the top and bottom toward the centre and roll from left to right. Rolling instructions should also be on the rice paper packaging.  

Serve the rolls with soy sauce and, if you like, wasabi horseradish.