Rice Paper Samosa Rolls

What to expect?

Samosa is one of the most popular portable snacks in India. Traditionally, it is a flaky wheat flour-based pastry filled with a spicy potato filling (with or without meat) and fried in oil. Samosa is usually shaped in a triangle or more like a cone.

Rice paper samosa rolls are the easiest homemade version of the authentic recipe, especially as you don’t need to make samosa dough from scratch or use spring roll wrappers.

The vegetable filling is quite aromatic thanks to cayenne pepper, cumin, curry powder, garam masala, and turmeric.

Ingredients

To make samosas in rice paper, you need 5 veggies and 5 spices. Yes, the spices are the heart of this dish, making it taste amazing. So what do you need to have?

• Rice paper wrappers → We have a complete guide on rice paper wrappers with everything you want to know about how to choose, prepare, and roll it.
• Onion
• Garlic
• Potatoes
• Carrots
• Green peas → Fresh or frozen
• Cayenne pepper
• Cumin
• Indian curry powder → We use mild this curry powder with ingredients like coriander, fenugreek, turmeric, cumin, black pepper, bay leaves, celery seed, nutmeg, clove, onion, ginger, and red pepper
• Garam masala → We use this mild garam masala mainly for its cinnamon and cardamom content.
• Turmeric → To make the filling vibrant yellow.
• Salt

Instructions

Preparing the ingredients

• Peel and mince onion and garlic.
• Wash, peel and cut potatoes in small cubes.
• Wash, peel and shred carrots.
• If you use frozen green peas, you can thaw them in advance (although it is not needed if you’re short on time).

Making samosa filling

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a frying pan over medium heat.
2. Add the finely chopped onion and garlic, and cook until soft and fragrant (3-4 minutes).
3. Add the remaining oil, chopped potatoes, shredded carrots, and green peas. Cook for 2 minutes.
4. Add all spices and cook for 5 minutes.
5. Finally, cover it with a lid and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, occasionally stirring until the potatoes are soft. (See the yummy, cooked samosa filling in the below photo.)

How to roll samosa rolls?

Our guide covers everything you need to know about using rice paper wrappers, including tips on handling different types, rolling them tightly, and achieving a crispy texture through oven-baking, pan-frying, or air-frying. In general, this is how you should roll them.

1. Submerge rice paper wrappers in lukewarm water for approx. 2-5 seconds.
2. Lay it flat and spread roughly one-sixth of the samosa filling in the center at around a third from the bottom.
3. Fold the sides to the middle.
4. Then roll the bottom seam upwards and tuck the filling in tight with your fingers.
5. Roll the rice paper around the filling all the way to the top, as if you were rolling a burrito.

Baking

1. Preheat the oven to 395 Fahrenheit (ca. 202 °C).
2. Place the samosa rolls on a baking sheet with parchment paper or a non-stick baking mat.
3. Spray it with a bit of oil. Don’t brush them, as you might end up adding too much.
4. Bake them for 10-15 minutes. The rice paper will not change color really, so don’t wait for them to be golden brown. I usually flip them after 10 minutes to make sure that they are crispy all around.

Cooking tips

• How long to submerge rice paper? – Different brands may behave differently. Some brands need only a quick dunk in the water, while others need 5 seconds. If the rice paper is too sticky, you will have trouble rolling it tightly. And they will pop during frying or baking.
• Too wet samosa rolls? – If they feel too wet or sticky, put them in the fridge. But don’t pack them together tightly, as they may stick together.

Variations

• Pork substitutes: Consider using TVP, it works perfectly as vegan ground pork in this Vietnamese rice paper pizza recipe.
• Use other wrappers: While this is specifically a rice paper samosa roll recipe, there are actually 10 different things you can use instead of spring roll wrappers or rice paper wrappers.
• Change the cooking method: Shallow fry them in 0.5-inch high oil, or deep-fry them for a couple of seconds until they turn nice and crispy. If you have an air fryer, you can use it to make them crispy. Spray a bit of oil beneath, so the samosa rolls don’t stick to the bottom.

Serving ideas

You can dip these crispy samosas in various sauces and they will taste amazing all the time. We like to dip them in

• Cilantro and Mint Chutney (see ingredients in recipe card below)
• Sweet Chili Sauce (I know it is not Indian, but I love the two together)
• For more dipping sauces for spring rolls or samosa rolls.

Let us know what is your favorite dipping sauce in the comments below!

Equipment

• Rice paper water bowl – We use a large shallow bowl as it is really simple, but a specialized water bowl has its benefits. It is compact and doesn’t use a lot of counter space compared to a regular bowl. It can make softening rice paper easier.
• Rice paper tray – When preparing samosa rolls or any type of rolls for that matter, using a rice paper tray can prevent sticking and allow excess liquid to drain through holes. Using a plastic cutting board is also an option, but not fuss-free, as you need to wipe it dry between each rolling.

Storing tips

• Fridge: You can store unbaked rice paper samosa rolls in the refrigerator on a plate covered in plastic wrap. Make sure to place them loosely, as they may stick together if placed too close. Baked or fried rolls can be stored in an airtight container, but will lose crispiness over time.
• Reheat: Use a lightly oiled frying pan to reheat the rolls. Microwaves will not give you back their crispy wrap.
• Freezer: We do not recommend freezing them as it can result in a soggy texture as the moisture from the filling will soften the wrappers.

Reference 

I was asked to review Weeknight One-Pot Vegan Cooking by Nicole Malik.

⇒ Click here to see all the cookbooks we recommend, including some free e-books you can download right now!

Nicole is the creator of Delicious Everyday. Nicole’s cookbook is almost 100 pages long and divided into 7 chapters. The book contains 75 delicious no-mess vegan recipes that you can make in ONE POT mostly within 30 minutes. Exactly what we need if we want something healthy, delicious and quick lunch and dinner on the table.

When we think of quick vegan meals, we do think of soups, salads, pasta, stir-fry, and one-pot meals. Her recipes don’t have a long list of crazy unique ingredients and spices. She uses well-known staples to create colorful, rich and nutritious dishes. No salad and no tofu :-), but a rainbow of veggies, grains, legumes, and fruits.

All in all, this cookbook is awesome. We recommend it to anyone who would like to start eating plant-based or vegan or just one dish at a time. All the recipes you can choose from are easy to make and fuss-free. So they are quick wins that will encourage you to try more and more!

More rice paper rolls recipes

Try one of these delicious rice paper recipes, or choose one from below: