These Paneer Summer Rolls have a lovely filling of veggies, cottage cheese and walnuts rolled into a rice paper and served with a sweet-sour mango dip.
Offer this Indianised take on a Vietnamese fave as an appetiser when guests are over or have it for nashta with a hot cup of chai.
There's not much cooking involved, and the dish can be prepared in a jiffy once the veggies and paneer are prepped.
Paneer Summer Rolls
Recipe courtesy: California Walnuts
Serves: 4-5
Ingredients
- 8-10 rice paper sheets, available online
- Hot water
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp honey
- A little water
- 250 gm paneer
- Oil
- Lemon wedges, to serve
- Mango dip, to serve, please see the recipe below
For the filling
- 1½ cup thinly sliced crunchy vegetables including bell pepper, carrot, cucumber, red cabbage
- ¼ cup chopped walnuts, lightly toasted
- Small bunch pudina or fresh mint leaves, chopped
- Small bunch fresh green dhania or coriander or cilantro leaves, chopped
- Salad greens, chopped, or shredded lettuce
For the raw mango dipping sauce
- ½ cup chopped raw green mango
- ¼ cup chopped ripe mango
- ¼ cup whole walnuts, soaked in water for 30 minutes
- 1 green chilly, chopped
- 1-inch piece ginger, chopped
- 2 garlic pods, chopped
- ½ cup chopped pudina or mint leaves
- ½ of a neebu or lime, juiced
- 1-2 ice cubes
- Drizzle of honey, optional
- Salt to taste, around ½ tsp
- Water
Method
- In a blender or grinder, add all the ingredients required for the dipping sauce, including the ice cubes, walnuts and the water they soaked in.
Add more water if required.
Blend until a smooth not too thin sauce.
Keep aside.
- Cut the paneer into small rectangles.
- Heat the oil in large wok over medium heat.
Fry the paneer in the oil, flipping on all sides to ensure even browning, for about 5 minutes.
Drain onto a paper towel or tissue-lined plate and keep aside.
- In a bowl add 2-3 tbsp of the prepared mango sauce.
Add 1 tbsp sesame oil, 1 tsp honey and a little water to loosen the sauce of a bit.
Whisk to combine.
Add the paneer and mix until well-coated.
Add the paneer back to the wok and saute over medium heat.
Cook until all of the sauce is absorbed, and the paneer looks glazed, stirring frequently.
Take off heat and keep the paneer aside.
- Arrange all the chopped veggies along with the chopped coriander, mint leaves, salad greens or shredded lettuce on a large plate or tray.
Set onto the tray a bowl of hot water big enough to dip the rice papers in.
Soften a sheet of rice paper by soaking it in the water for 5-10 seconds.
Rotate the paper in the bowl in a circular direction and press the center of the rice paper into the bowl to completely soak it.
Carefully remove the rice paper, with tongs, from the water and spread out onto a plastic or wood cutting board.
Place 1-2 pieces of the paneer and some of the chopped vegetables in the centre of the rice paper sheet.
Top with some chopped walnuts.
Garnish with some of the chopped coriander, mint leaves, salad greens/shredded lettuce.
Fold each side of the rice paper in, towards the centre, then fold the bottom portion over the filling, towards the top.
Compress the roll as you roll it to completely seal it.
Repeat the process for the balance rice papers, until all the filling is used.
Cut the roll into half and serve with the raw mango dipping sauce.
The rolls are best consumed immediately.