Sel roti
Local name : सेल रोटी
Rings of fried rice-flour bread sweetened with ripe banana and cardamom, crisp outside and tender within.
Photo : Swapnil Acharya · CC BY-SA 3.0
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Total
- 50 min
- Serves
- 6
- Difficulty
- Medium
Method
- Whisk the mashed banana with the sugar until smooth and frothy.
- Stir in the rice flour, cardamom, salt and the two tablespoons of oil, then add the water little by little.
- Beat the batter hard for five minutes: it should be smooth, glossy and fall from the whisk in a thick ribbon, like a stiff pancake batter.
- Rest for 20 minutes, then transfer to a piping bag or a squeeze bottle with a narrow nozzle.
- Heat the oil to 170 °C. Draw a 10 cm circle of batter onto the surface of the oil, closing the ring with one quick movement.
- Fry for 90 seconds, turn carefully with chopsticks or tongs, and fry another 90 seconds until deep golden.
- Drain on a rack and serve warm, on its own for breakfast or with a potato curry.
Sel roti belongs to the Tihar and Dashain festivals, when dozens are fried in one sitting. The pouring takes practice: your first rings will be wobbly, and no less delicious for it.
