Vegetable spring rolls

Step 1: Soak 1 ⅜ oz glass noodles (mung bean vermicelli), ⅓ oz dried wood ear mushrooms and 4 dried shiitake mushrooms in separate bowls of warm water for 15 minutes, until soft. Drain well. Cut the noodles into 3 cm lengths with scissors; finely chop the wood ear and shiitake, cutting off any hard stalks.

Step 2: Squeeze 7 oz taro or sweet potato and 1 carrot hard in a clean tea towel to get rid of as much moisture as you can; wet filling makes soggy rolls that spit in the oil.

Step 3: In a large bowl mix the noodles, mushrooms, taro, carrot, 7 oz firm tofu, 2 shallots, 2 cloves garlic, 2 spring onions, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp sugar, ½ tsp salt and 1 tsp black pepper with your hands until it holds together when squeezed. Fry a teaspoonful to taste the seasoning, and adjust: it should be well peppered.

Step 4: Stir 1 tsp sugar into 1 cup warm water in a wide dish; the sugar helps the wrappers turn an even golden brown. Dip one 20 rice paper wrappers sheet for just a second or two, then lay it on a damp board; it softens as you work.

Step 5: Put a heaped tablespoon of filling near the bottom edge and shape it into a log about 8 cm long. Fold the bottom over, fold in the sides and roll up firmly but not too tightly, as the filling swells. Repeat with the rest. Set the rolls on a tray, not touching, and leave to dry for 15 minutes. (To make ahead, freeze them now on the tray, then bag them; fry from frozen, adding 2 minutes.)

Step 6: Heat 4 ¼ cups vegetable oil, for deep-frying in a wok or deep pan to 325°F, or until a wooden chopstick fizzes gently. Fry the rolls in batches of 5 or 6 for 6–7 minutes, turning, until firm and pale gold. Don't crowd them, or they stick together. Drain on a rack.

Step 7: Raise the heat to 350°F and fry the rolls again for 1–2 minutes, until deep golden, blistered and crackly. Drain on a rack, not paper, so the bottoms stay crisp.

Step 8: Serve hot with 1 head soft lettuce leaves, 1 handful mint, perilla and Thai basil and ¾ cup vegan nước chấm: wrap a roll in a lettuce leaf with a few herbs and dip as you eat.