Are you thinking of an elegant easy dinner to share with friends that requires little preparation, no luxury kitchen accessories, and almost no cooking? Well, why not try a round table rice paper roll dinner. I love to entertain in the summer with this wonderful diy dinner event. What you will need:

• 1-2 packages Vietnamese style rice paper wrappers
• fresh baby salad leaves, one cup per person
• fresh leafy herbs such as basil, coriander, mint, or dill a2-3 sprigs of each per person
• shredded crunchy vegetables like carrot, raddish, or daikon 1/4 cup per person
• cucumber thinly sliced 1/4 cup per person
• sliced avocado 1/2 an avocado per person
• some protein option such as baby shrimp, strips of spicy firm tofu, or a spread of mashed tofu seasoned with soy sauce and sesame paste, or cream cheese 1/2-1 cup per person

Place several bowls of warm water on the table and place bowls of the fresh ingredients around the table so that nobody has to reach very far. Each guest dunks their wrapper in the warm water for about thirty seconds, then lays it on their plate. The bottom can be spread with avocado, cream cheese or tofu then pile on the vegetables and herbs of choice, roll up like a cigar. It is best to serve this with a variety of sauces either store bought or home made. My favourite is equal parts:

• lime juice
• sesame oil
• soy sauce

You should also supply a bottle of thai sweet chilli sauce,Vietnamese hot sauce, soy sauce and perhaps some wasabi and pickled ginger (its not sushi, but it might make sushi lovers feel more at home). Because of the time lapse and laughter of rolling your own dinner, this is best served with an ice cold lager Tsingtao is a nice Chinese Beer or even a Polish lager like Tyskie or Zywiec would go nicely. If you are feeling adventurous you can even make a white wine sangria for a complete cross cultural experience.