In honor of the upcoming release (next week!) of The Gluten-Free Asian Kitchen, I wanted to give you a sneak peek at one of the recipes from the book. I had some trouble choosing just one–I’m pretty attached to all of them–but I knew I wanted to share something delicious that would potentially even teach you a new trick. Then it hit me: salad rolls! Most people enjoy salad rolls in restaurants, but they’re not quite as common on the kitchen table.

Have you ever worked with rice paper before? You’ve certainly seen it in its final form, wrapped around Thai or Vietnamese fresh salad rolls or crispy fried spring rolls. But the rice paper wrappers you’ll find at the store aren’t soft and flexible, but thin, brittle rounds made from rice flour or a combination of rice flour and tapioca. Before using it, you must rehydrate the rice paper in water to soften it. Once it’s pliable, wrap the rice paper around the filling.

Rice paper wrappers are sometimes called spring roll wrappers or spring roll skins. Avoid confusing them with egg roll skins, though, which are made from wheat. They come in several sizes (including 6-, 8-, and 9-inch rounds). You can find a whole section of them in Asian markets (for only a couple of dollars per package); they are becoming more and more common in regular grocery stores, too, especially natural foods stores.

Don’t let working with rice paper intimidate you; I promise it will be old hat after you finish the first few rolls. (My 8-year old daughter actually fights for the job!) Besides, you’ll want to master the technique as part of your gluten-free arsenal. Once you learn the process, you can craft salad rolls using any ingredients you like, even ones that aren’t Asian! (Sometimes I’ll even roll up a “sandwich” of roasted chicken, lettuce, and tomato.) The salad rolls truly are versatile: fill them with all vegetables and tofu, substitute chicken or shrimp for the crab, or even leave the noodles out to save yourself a step. They’re great for parties, too. You can make the rolls several hours ahead of time, cover them with a damp paper towel and then plastic wrap, and keep them in the fridge. Or, set all the ingredients out on a platter and let guests assemble their own rolls. Serve the rolls with a tasty sauce, such as my Spicy Mango Sauce or a purchased (or homemade) gluten-free peanut sauce.

Reprinted with permission from “The Gluten-Free Asian Kitchen: Recipes for Noodles, Dumplings, Sauces, and More”. Copyright @2011 by Laura B. Russell, Celestial Arts, an imprint of Ten Speed Press and the Crown Publishing Group, Berkeley, CA. Photo Credit: Leo Gong.