I’m still in the Muslim eatery off Tanee Road and at every turn I feel like this food is taking me to a different part of the world. In a lovely sunlit spot I see a man making spring rolls, which he stacks so beautifully, forming a perfect pyramid of them on a big tray. I’m reminded that this might ‘just’ be street food, but people take such great care with it, and have incredible pride in everything they produce. These spring rolls make me feel like I could be in Saigon – they’re very similar to what I eat there. They’re halal though, so chicken is used for the filling, amped up with some glass noodles, carrot and taro, and seasoned with sugar, white pepper and fish sauce.
Just like in Vietnam, you eat these deep-fried morsels wrapped, with herbs, in a mustard green leaf and dunked into nuoc cham. Mustard green leaves have a great peppery flavour but at home you can just use butter lettuce leaves if you prefer. Once prepared, the spring rolls can be stored in the freezer and cooked when required; from frozen, they will take 7–8 minutes to cook.