Rice Paper Summer Rolls with Peanut Chilli Dip
- infosonakshilifest
- 4 days ago
- 5 min read
By Sonakshi · @sonakshiwellness · Plant-based · Gut-friendly · Fresh · PCOS-safe
Prep: 20 minutes · Makes: 8 rolls · Difficulty: easy · Vegan · GF
Why this one
There is a kind of food that looks impressive and takes almost no time. Summer rolls are exactly that. Translucent rice paper, vegetables you can see through the wrap, a dip that makes you want to eat the whole batch in one sitting. They look like something you would order at a restaurant. They take about twenty minutes at home.
The peanut chilli dip is the reason people ask for this recipe. I developed it using peanut butter powder instead of regular peanut butter — hydrated with hot oil infused with chilli, ginger, and garlic, then balanced with apple cider vinegar and spring onion. It is punchy, slightly smoky, and completely addictive.
The tempeh inside is the thing that makes this more than a snack. Sliced long and thin, it brings a meaty chew and a depth of flavour to the roll that raw vegetables alone cannot provide. And it turns this into something that genuinely satisfies.
"The vegetables you have been avoiding — this is how you eat them. Refreshing, fast, and actually exciting."
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Ingredients
For the rolls — makes 8
• 8 rice paper wrappers
• Steamed cabbage — roughly half a small head, leaves separated and steamed until just tender
• 1 large cucumber — cut into long thin strips
• 2 medium carrots — peeled and cut into long thin strips
• 200g tempeh — sliced long and thin, about 5mm thick
On prepping the tempeh: pan-fry the slices in a little oil with salt and pepper until golden on both sides before adding to the rolls. This small step transforms tempeh from bland to genuinely delicious. It only takes five minutes and it makes a real difference to the finished roll.
For the peanut chilli dip
• 4 tbsp peanut butter powder, hydrated — see method below
• 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup warm water, plus more to adjust consistency
• 2 tbsp hot oil — see method below
• 1 tsp chilli flakes — adjust to your heat preference
• 3 garlic cloves, finely grated
• 1 inch fresh ginger, finely grated
• 3 spring onions, finely sliced — white and green parts
• Salt and black pepper to taste
On the hot oil: heat two tablespoons of a neutral oil — sesame or sunflower — until just smoking. Pour directly over the chilli flakes, grated garlic, and ginger in a small bowl. It will sizzle immediately. This blooming process extracts the flavour compounds in the aromatics that water cannot reach. It is what makes this dip taste layered and complex instead of flat.
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Method
Make the dip first — it improves as it sits
1. Grate the garlic and ginger into a small bowl. Add the chilli flakes. Heat two tablespoons of oil until just smoking and pour directly over the aromatics. It will sizzle and smell incredible. Let it cool for one minute.
2. In a separate bowl, hydrate the peanut butter powder with warm water — start with two tablespoons of water, mix until smooth and creamy.
3. Add the apple cider vinegar to the peanut mixture. Stir.
4. Pour in the hot oil and aromatics. Mix well.
5. Add the sliced spring onions, salt, and pepper. Stir again.
6. Add warm water gradually — a tablespoon at a time — until you reach a consistency you can dip into easily but that still coats the roll. Taste. Adjust salt, vinegar, and chilli to your liking.
7. Set aside. The flavour deepens as it sits.
Prep your fillings
8. Steam the cabbage leaves until just tender — about three minutes. Lay flat to cool.
9. Steam the cauliflower until just cooked — you want it with a little bite, not soft. Cool slightly.
10. Cut cucumber and carrot into long thin strips, roughly the length of your hand.
11. Slice tempeh long and thin. Pan-fry in a little oil with salt and pepper until golden on both sides. Set aside.
Assemble the rolls
12. Fill a wide shallow bowl with warm water — not hot, warm. Too hot and the rice paper tears.
13. Dip one rice paper sheet into the water for exactly fifteen seconds. It should feel soft but not completely limp. Lay flat on a clean damp board or plate.
14. Lay one or two cabbage leaves across the lower third of the wrapper. Add a few strips of cucumber, carrot, and cauliflower. Add two or three slices of tempeh on top.
15. Fold the bottom of the rice paper up over the filling. Fold the sides in. Roll forward tightly, pressing gently as you go. The rice paper seals itself.
16. Repeat with remaining wrappers. Keep finished rolls covered with a damp cloth while you work — they dry out quickly.
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Tips and swaps
• No peanut butter powder? Regular peanut butter works perfectly — use three tablespoons and reduce the water slightly.
• For a nut-free version: sunflower seed butter with the same dip recipe. Different flavour but the same punchy result.
• Make the dip a day ahead — it keeps in the fridge for four days and the flavour is even better on day two.
• The rolls are best eaten fresh — rice paper toughens as it sits. If you need to prep ahead, keep fillings separate and assemble just before eating.
• No tempeh? Firm tofu, pressed and pan-fried, works as a direct swap. The texture is slightly different but it carries the same spice well.
• Want more heat in the dip? Add a teaspoon of sriracha or a fresh chilli finely chopped.
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What this is doing for your gut
Rice paper is naturally gluten-free and easy on digestion. Every vegetable inside this roll is either raw or lightly steamed — maximum fibre, maximum live enzymes, and minimum insulin impact. The variety of vegetables matters here: different plant fibres feed different strains of gut bacteria, and rotating what you eat is one of the most practical ways to build microbiome diversity.
Tempeh is fermented soybean. Fermentation pre-digests some of the compounds that make legumes harder to process, making the protein and nutrients more bioavailable. For women with PCOS and gut sensitivity, fermented plant proteins are often significantly easier to digest than their unfermented counterparts.
Apple cider vinegar in the dip supports bile production and digestive enzyme activity. Ginger and garlic are both prebiotic and anti-inflammatory. Chilli supports circulation and metabolism. The peanut butter provides healthy fat that slows digestion and supports the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins from the vegetables.
"Every ingredient in this dip is doing something. That is what eating for your gut actually looks like in practice — not supplements, not protocols. Just food that works."
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A note on making this yours
The beauty of summer rolls is that they are a format, not a fixed recipe. Once you know how to roll, you change the fillings based on what is in season, what you have, what you feel like. Mango and avocado in summer. Roasted sweet potato in winter. Whatever herbs are growing in your window.
The dip, though — I would not change. It is the reason people make these twice in one week.
Healthy food is not your problem. Boring food is.
— Sona
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About Sonakshi
Sonakshi is a certified holistic nutritionist, registered yoga teacher, and women's health coach based in Faridabad, India. She creates plant-based recipes designed to support gut health, hormonal balance, and a genuinely good relationship with food — through Sona Eats, her coaching programme Heal Her, and JUNO, her line of gut-friendly clean treats. Find her at @sonakshiwellness on Instagram.
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