Sel Roti Recipe: How to Make Nepal’s Festive Rice Flour Rings at Home

Ingredients

• 400 g white rice (long-grain or sona masuri)
• 100 g sugar
• 3 tbsp ghee, melted
• 120 ml milk (or water)
• 1 ripe banana, mashed (optional, for softness)
• ½ tsp ground cardamom
• ¼ tsp baking powder (optional)
• 1 l oil or ghee for deep frying

Method

1. Soak the rice

   Rinse the rice a few times until the water runs mostly clear, then cover with plenty of water and soak for at least 6 hours or overnight.

   6 hours

2. Drain

   Drain the rice well in a colander so the batter doesn’t turn too runny.

   10 minutes

3. Grind the batter

   Blend the soaked rice with the sugar, ghee, banana and cardamom, adding the milk a little at a time. Grind until slightly grainy (like fine semolina), not completely smooth. The texture should be thick but pourable, like pancake batter.

4. Rest the batter

   Stir in the baking powder if using, cover, and let the batter rest at room temperature. It will thicken slightly; add a splash of milk if it gets too stiff.

   30 minutes

5. Heat the oil

   Heat the oil in a deep, heavy pan or kadai over medium heat. It’s ready when a drop of batter rises to the surface steadily within a few seconds without browning instantly.

6. Shape and fry

   Pour batter from your hand, a squeeze bottle or a piping bag into the oil in a smooth ring about 10–12 cm wide, joining the ends. Fry until the underside is light golden, then flip with a stick or chopstick and fry the other side.

   About 90 seconds per ring

7. Drain and serve

   Lift out with a stick through the center, drain on a rack or paper towels, and repeat with the remaining batter. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes