Amanda's spring rolls

1. 1) Prepare your vegetables and herbs. I generally shred the cabbage, grate the carrots, and slice the cucumber into thin, 2-3 inch slices. I probably chop about 1/4 c. of both the cilantro and mint.

2. 2) Cook the noodles according to the package directions. It usually only takes a few minute in boiling water.

3. 3) To prepare the rice noodle wrappers, I use a Pyrex pie plate. Pour hot water into the pie plate. The rice paper wrappers will be hard and brittle when you take them out of the package. Putting them in the hot water, one by one, will soften them and make them pliable.

4. 4) Fill a rice paper wrapper with rice noodles, cabbage, cucumber, carrots, and a pinch of cilantro and mint. Roll the ingredients up in the wrapper. I find that it takes a couple tries to get the roll to look good (which is fine, because you get to eat the ugly ones right off the bat!).

5. 5) I buy whichever dipping sauce looks good, although the last one I used was especially good. You can use a sweet sauce for people who don't like the heat, but I really like the sweet chili sauce. The brand I used last time was Mae Ploy.