The peanut butter was born out of improvisatory necessity really – i needed something, and we’d had a fantastic peanut satay sauce at Rosa’s Thai on the weekend. So I just kind of improvised. Next time I wouldn’t put in dark soy because it made it almost too intense for the roll.

Thanks for the info on the Phan Thuiet summer roll – it’s now my bench mark, and the only one I’ve had that matches up to (and mostly surpasses) those we ate in Hanoi and Ha Long.

And good idea re the sushi mat – i’ll try that out next time!

The peanut butter thing is mighty inspiring – I think I must try it out on a sauce for summer rolls as traditionally in Vietnam, the sauce always has peanuts in it.

The one you had when you came over is a variation of summer roll from a Vietnam beach city called Phan Thiet – they are the only ones who put mint in their summer rolls. Also they put in fish cakes in it.

I am not sure if all Vietnamese people are like my family, but they are incredibly strict about what goes into what – like what goes into summer rolls. It was already mortal sin I had committed to my mother for putting into the summer rolls some cured ham, instead of fish cakes.

Anyway, should do a blog post about summer rolls too – no one really eats them like they make them here in Pho Mile – which is the cheap, tasteless version for good profit.

PS – great tip for greedy ones like me – use a sushi mat to roll.

@Lindsay – i think putting them on a damp kitchen towel in the fridge overnight really helps, it keeps the wrappers moist.