Italianesque Fresh Spring Rolls Add Bright Colors to Dinner; Tomatoes, Cheese Give New Take on Classic Dish

By Yukako Oishi / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

12:30 JST, June 15, 2025

Italian cuisine chef Yoshinaga Jinbo wraps tomatoes and cheese in rice paper and serves them with two dipping sauces for fresh, Italian-style spring rolls. They make a refreshing snack for casual nibbling.

Thinking about fresh spring rolls likely brings up images of Asian food for most people.

However, for this recipe, Jinbo said, “I used tomato, avocado, arugula, basil and other ingredients to make something more like salad rolls.”

Dishes he serves at his restaurant in Tokyo are all colorful, beautiful and edible works of art. They are a feast for the eyes and tastebuds alike.

“I’ve liked drawing ever since I was a child,” Jinbo said. “When I think of new recipes, I work up plans while writing down the elements of ingredient flavors, one by one, and the color combinations they make.”

For the fresh spring rolls, he prepared paper-thin omelets and rolled each of them together with a piece of rice paper so the yellow color of the egg is visible through it. The red, yellow, green and white ingredient colors make a great match. They look beautiful when cut with a knife.

The fresh spring rolls also make for a feast with a variety of flavors, such as the salty taste of uncured ham, the succulent sensation of tomato, the mild taste of avocado and the distinct aroma of arugula. As for the textures, chunky sticks of mozzarella cheese are nice and chewy, while the tomato and avocado, cut into wedges, give a more substantial feel.

They are accompanied by two types of dipping sauce. A small amount of pepper sauce gives depth to the balsamic sauce. Add pine nuts to the basil sauce to enhance its flavor. Basil leaves can lose their fresh green color when their temperature rises due to the mixing process in a blender. To avoid this, cool the blender’s jar in a refrigerator beforehand.

The balsamic sauce can be addictive, with its richly sour taste and hint of spiciness. The basil sauce is aromatic. With perfectly balanced tastes, textures and nutrition, these fresh spring rolls will be a fantastic addition to your dinner table in early summer.

Italian-style spring rolls

Ingredients (serves 3 to 4):

• 6 pieces rice paper
• 20 grams arugula
• 6 slices uncured ham
• 120 grams mozzarella cheese
• 2 eggs
• 1 large tomato
• 1 avocado
• 6 basil leaves



For balsamic sauce:

• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 1/2 tsp pepper sauce



For basil sauce:

• 100 grams basil leaves
• 10 grams pine nuts
• 1 tbsp Parmesan cheese
• 50 milliliters olive oil
• 1/4 garlic clove



Directions:

1. Beat eggs, add a small amount of salt and pepper and make two thin omelets. Cut both into three equal pieces.

2. Cut mozzarella cheese into six sticks of the same size. Cut tomato into 12 wedges. Remove the skin and stone of avocado and cut into 12 wedges.

3. Cover kitchen counter with plastic wrap and wet the surface with a small amount of water. Fill a modestly large bowl with water. Briefly dip rice paper pieces one by one in water before spreading each of them on the plastic wrap.

4. Place a thin omelet on a rice paper piece, followed by uncured ham and arugula. Top them with two slices of avocado, two slices of tomato, a mozzarella cheese stick and a basil leaf. Lightly sprinkle salt on top. Lift the near end of the rice paper and roll while lightly pressing the ingredients. Fold the left and right ends of the rice paper and roll further. Make six fresh spring rolls.

5. Mix balsamic vinegar, pepper sauce, 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 teaspoon of sugar to make the balsamic sauce.

6. Make the basil sauce by mixing basil leaves, Parmesan cheese, olive oil, garlic, pinches of salt and pepper and lightly roasted pine nuts in a blender.

7. Cut each fresh spring roll into quarters before serving. Adorn them with basil leaves if there are any left and drizzle olive oil on top. Serve them with dipping sauces.

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  The Yomiuri Shimbun
  Rice paper is briefly dipped in water.

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  The Yomiuri Shimbun
  How to start rolling rice paper with the ingredients

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  The Yomiuri Shimbun
  Roasted pine nuts are added to a blender cup with other basil sauce ingredients.

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