Sel Roti

Name: Sel Roti
Prep time: 570 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 615 min
Yield: 10 servings
Cuisine: Nepali
Ingredients: 500 g long-grain white rice (basmati or local long-grain rice); 150 g sugar; 2 whole very ripe bananas (peeled); 4 tbsp ghee (melted); 0.5 tsp ground green cardamom; 250 ml milk (or water, added gradually); 1 l vegetable oil (for deep-frying; some families mix in ghee)

Serves 10 · 615 min · Nepali

Ingredients

500 g long-grain white rice
150 g sugar
2 very ripe bananas
4 tbsp ghee
½ tsp ground green cardamom
250 ml milk
1 L vegetable oil

Method

01
Soak the rice Wash the rice in several changes of water until it runs mostly clear, then cover it with plenty of fresh water and leave it to soak for about eight hours or overnight.
02
Drain the rice Tip the soaked rice into a sieve and let it drain well for about fifteen minutes.
03
Grind the batter Grind the drained rice with the sugar, bananas, melted ghee and cardamom, adding the milk a little at a time, until you have a thick, slightly grainy batter.
04
Check the consistency Lift a spoonful of batter and let it fall back into the bowl. It should flow in a thick, steady ribbon, like heavy cream.
05
Rest the batter Cover the bowl and leave the batter to rest at room temperature for about one hour.
06
Heat the oil Pour the oil into a deep, heavy pan or kadai so it is at least five centimetres deep, and heat it over medium heat to about one hundred and seventy five degrees Celsius.
07
Pour the rings Stir the batter, then pour it into the hot oil in a steady stream in one circle about twelve centimetres across, joining the ends to close the ring.
08
Fry the first side Let the ring fry for about one minute, until it puffs and the underside turns golden.
09
Flip and fry Turn the ring over with a long skewer or chopstick and fry the other side for about one minute, until it is evenly golden brown.
10
Drain the sel roti Lift the sel roti out on the skewer, hold it over the pan so the oil drips off, then stand it upright in a colander or on paper to drain.
11
Fry the rest Stir the batter and keep frying the rest the same way, letting the oil come back to temperature between batches.
12
Serve Serve the sel roti warm or at room temperature with milk tea, achar or aloo tarkari. Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to a week.

Method

Soak the rice

Wash the rice in several changes of water until it runs mostly clear, then cover it with plenty of fresh water and leave it to soak for about eight hours or overnight.

The grains are ready when one breaks easily between your fingers.

Soak the rice · 480 min

Drain the rice

Tip the soaked rice into a sieve and let it drain well for about fifteen minutes.

Drain the rice · 15 min

Grind the batter

Grind the drained rice with the sugar, bananas, melted ghee and cardamom, adding the milk a little at a time, until you have a thick, slightly grainy batter.

Keep a little texture, like fine semolina. Ground completely smooth, the sel roti turns dense and oily. Traditionally this is done on a grinding stone, but a strong blender works in batches.

Check the consistency

Lift a spoonful of batter and let it fall back into the bowl. It should flow in a thick, steady ribbon, like heavy cream.

If it is too thin, stir in a few spoons of rice flour. If it is too thick to pour, add a splash more milk.

Rest the batter

Cover the bowl and leave the batter to rest at room temperature for about one hour.

Rest the batter · 60 min

Heat the oil

Pour the oil into a deep, heavy pan or kadai so it is at least five centimetres deep, and heat it over medium heat to about one hundred and seventy five degrees Celsius.

Drop in a small dot of batter. It should sink, then rise to the top within two or three seconds with steady bubbles. If it browns at once, the oil is too hot.

Heat the oil · 10 min

Pour the rings

Stir the batter, then pour it into the hot oil in a steady stream in one circle about twelve centimetres across, joining the ends to close the ring.

Pour from your fist, from a piping bag, or from a plastic bottle with a hole cut in the cap. Fry one or two at a time until you get the hang of it.

Fry the first side

Let the ring fry for about one minute, until it puffs and the underside turns golden.

Fry the first side · 1 min

Flip and fry

Turn the ring over with a long skewer or chopstick and fry the other side for about one minute, until it is evenly golden brown.

Push the ring gently under the oil with the stick so it puffs evenly.

Flip and fry · 1 min

Drain the sel roti

Lift the sel roti out on the skewer, hold it over the pan so the oil drips off, then stand it upright in a colander or on paper to drain.

Fry the rest

Stir the batter and keep frying the rest the same way, letting the oil come back to temperature between batches.

Fry the rest · 40 min

Serve

Serve the sel roti warm or at room temperature with milk tea, achar or aloo tarkari. Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to a week.

Sel Roti

Ingredients

Method

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