Snacks & Street Food
Sel Roti
सेल रोटी
Sel roti is a ring of sweetened rice batter poured in a single confident circle straight into hot oil, emerging crisp and glassy outside and springy within. It is inseparable from Tihar and Dashain, when kitchens across Nepal grind soaked rice for days and stack the finished rings shoulder-high. Bought from a roadside stall the rest of the year, it is the standard partner to a glass of milk tea or a bowl of aloo tarkari.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Total
- 70 min
- Serves
- 6
- Difficulty
- Medium
At the stove
Method
Drain the soaked rice thoroughly and grind it to a fine, sandy paste with as little water as possible.
Beat in the sugar, milk, melted ghee, banana if using, cardamom, cloves and salt.
Whisk the batter hard by hand for several minutes and then rest it, covered, for at least an hour — this aeration is what gives sel roti its lift.
Adjust the consistency so the batter falls from a ladle in a steady unbroken ribbon: too thick and the ring will not close, too thin and it will scatter.
Heat oil in a deep, wide pan to a moderate 170 to 175 C. Test with a drop of batter — it should rise slowly and sizzle, not brown instantly.
Pour the batter from a jug or through your fist in one continuous circular motion, joining the ends to close the ring.
Let it float undisturbed until the underside sets and turns pale gold, then turn it with a long skewer or two chopsticks.
Fry until both sides are an even deep gold and the surface has crisped, about 3 to 4 minutes in total.
Lift out, drain upright so the oil runs off, and cool slightly before serving. Sel roti keeps well for several days.
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