Spring rolls with ginger dip recipe

Ingredients

• 3 carrots
• 2 small zucchini
• 1⁄2 cucumber
• 2–3 tomatoes
• 2 celery sticks
• 1 bunch scallions
• 1 avocado
• 3–4 tbsp sesame seeds
• 250 g (9 oz) kelp noodles or glass noodles
• 1⁄2 head iceberg lettuce

• 1 (3⁄4 in/2 cm) piece of fresh ginger
• 2¾ tbsp tamari or soy sauce
• 1 tbsp ume vinegar

1. Peel the carrots. Using a thin peeler, shave the carrots into slices then cut into thin strips. Cut the zucchini and cucumber in half lengthwise, and scrape out the seeds with a spoon. Cut both into thin strips. Cut the tomatoes in half, remove the stems and seeds, and dice.
2. Cut the celery and the scallions, including the greens, into long, thin strips no longer than the width of the rice paper wrappers or cabbage leaves. Slice the avocado lengthwise in half and remove the pit. Peel the avocado, and slice each half lengthwise into eighths. If you want (but then know that the recipe will no longer be 100 percent raw), lightly toast the sesame seeds in a frying pan without using any oil. Soak the noodles in water for 5–10 minutes. (If using kelp noodles, soak in cold water; if using glass noodles, soak in warm water.) Cut the iceberg lettuce into thin strips.
3. To make the dip, grate the ginger finely, place it in a small serving bowl, and whisk in the tamari or soy sauce and ume vinegar.
4. Fill a wide shallow bowl with water. Put the rice paper wrappers very briefly in the water then place them on a cutting board. Immediately spread the vegetables of your choice on each wrapper, and sprinkle sesame seeds over the top, leaving the edges free. Fold the two sides of each wrapper over the filling, and roll up the wrapper from the bottom. Just before you finish rolling, moisten your finger again, run it over all the edges, then “glue” your wrap shut.
5. Sprinkle the sesame seeds over the spring rolls. Serve the ginger dip on the side.