I’m not sure why but I’ve never been a huge fan of samosas. Sure, they are pockets of deep fried carb-y goodness with the accompanying sweet chutney dipping sauce which, as a whole package, really should be right down my alley but no, I’m not sure what it is.
But I think that might have changed once I made rice paper samosas with mint chutney.
When I first laid eyes on My New Roots’ recipe for samosas, I might have nearly died and went to heaven. They were beautiful, simply a work of art…but edible! A colourful filling of chick peas, green peas, cashews, coconut, carrots, and spinach peering through a translucent rice paper wrapper. India meets Vietnam — how genius! Why hadn’t I thought of that earlier!?
I really couldn’t wait to make this one. Luckily, I had all the ingredients on-hand except for cashews which I recently discovered I am no longer allergic to (hooray!) so this was a no-brainer. I was going to make this ASAP. And my god, was I ever happy with this recipe. Actually, scratch that, my boyfriend and his friends went ballistic over these. And the best part about it was that it is SO much better than the deep fried original one. Swap the greasy wheat wrappers with light, thin rice paper wrappers and the carb-heavy potato and pea filling with a rainbow of good-for-you ingredients.
Thank you again, Sarah B, for another gorgeous and fulfilling recipe!
Rice paper samosas with mint chutney (adapted from My New Roots)
What you’ll need:
Samosas
– 1 tbsp extra virgin coconut oil
– 1 medium onion, diced
– 4 cloves garlic, minced
– 1″ piece of ginger, chopped finely
– 3 tsps cumins
– 4 tsps garam masala
– 2 tsps turmeric
– 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
– 6 small carrots, peeled and diced
– 1 1/2 cups chick peas, cooked and drained
– 1 cup frozen green peas
– 2 cups fresh spinach, chopped
– 1/4 cup homemade stock
– 3/4 cup roasted and salted cashews
– 3 tbsp unsweetened dried coconut (not shreds), chopped
– Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
– Kosher salt, to taste
– 8 rice paper wrappers
– Extra virgin coconut oil, melted (as needed)
Mint chutney
– 2 cups firmly packed mint leaves (no stems)
– 1 clove garlic, smashed
– 3 tsps gigner, minced
– 2 Medjool dates, pitted
– 1 fresh serrano chili
– 1 lime, juice only
– 1 tbsp honey
– 2 tbsp hemp oil
What you’ll need to do:
1. In a medium sauce pan, melt the coconut oil until it is hot over medium-high heat.
2. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger for 1 minute. Add the spices and cook until fragrant, another minute.
3. Add the carrots and cook for another 3 minutes.
4. Add the chick peas and frozen green peas and gently stir in the spinach. Add the stock. The liquid should evaporate.
5. Remove from heat and stir in the cashews and coconut pieces. Add salt and black pepper to taste. Let the filling mixture cool down.
6. Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a non-stick baking mat such as Silpat and preheat the oven to 400F. Once you’re done that, fill a bowl full of warm water that will be big enough so the rice paper wrappers may fit in it.
7. One by one, dip a rice paper wrapper in the warm water until pliable and easy to work with.
8. Transfer to a chopping board and with a sharp knife, cut the rice paper in half. Spoon the filling into the middle of each piece of rice paper.
9. Working quickly, pull the bottom part of the rice paper over the filling. Tuck in the sides to prevent filling from spilling out. Next, take the top part of the rice paper and bring it over to connect to the bottom side — the pocket should be in the shape of a triangle. Repeat this process to fill the remaining rice paper sheets or until all the filling is finished. Place the finished samosas on your lined baking sheet.
10. Once all of the samosas are done, brush each samosa with melted coconut oil. Bake for 10 minutes at 400F, flip it over, brush the other side with coconut oil and bake for another 10 minutes.
11. When the samosas are baking, make the chutney. Throw all of the ingredients in a food processor and blend until you reach your desired consistency (I blended mine for about 4 minutes).
12. Serve samosas with the spicy and sweet mint chutney. Makes 16 samosas.
Umami & Me 