Sel Rotiसेल रोटी
Video: Himalayan Mum's Recipes (YouTube)
Sel roti is the golden, ring-shaped fried bread that graces every Nepali and Sikkimese festival table — light on the inside, perfectly crisp on the outside, faintly sweet with cardamom. It is made during Dashain and Tihar, and the smell of sel roti frying in a family kitchen signals celebration as clearly as any drum. The batter must rest so the rice flour fully hydrates, giving the roti its characteristic porous, slightly chewy crumb. Eat them warm with a cup of milk tea or alongside achar.
📍 Make it in Plano
This recipe is the same everywhere — but where you buy the ingredients and eat the dish is local to you.
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Ingredients
- ▪Fine rice flour2 cups
- ▪Sugar3 tbsp
- ▪Ghee, melted2 tbsp
- ▪Green cardamom, freshly ground1/2 tsp
- ▪Ripe banana, mashed (optional but traditional)1 small
- ▪Warm water or whole milkapprox 1 cup
- ▪Baking sodaa pinch
- ▪Oil or ghee, for deep fryingfor frying
- Fine rice flour (not glutinous rice flour) is essential — look for it in South Asian or East Asian grocery stores. If only coarse rice flour is available, process it briefly in a blender to fine it up. In the absence of banana, increase ghee by 1 tsp for richness.
Method
- 1In a large bowl, whisk together rice flour, sugar, ground cardamom, and baking soda. Add melted ghee and mashed banana (if using). Pour warm water or milk in slowly, whisking constantly, until you have a smooth, thick batter that falls from the spoon in a slow ribbon — slightly thicker than pancake batter. Cover and rest for at least 30 minutes, or up to 2 hours.
- 2Heat oil or ghee in a deep, wide pan (a kadai works perfectly) to 170–180°C (340–355°F). You need enough oil depth so the sel roti can float and puff slightly.
- 3Stir the rested batter. Pour batter into a squeeze bottle or a piping bag, or use a ladle. Pour a steady ring of batter into the hot oil about 5–6 inches in diameter, connecting the circle back to itself. Work quickly — the ring will begin to set immediately.
- 4Fry for 2–3 minutes until the underside is golden and firm, then flip carefully with tongs and fry the other side for 1–2 minutes until evenly golden. Drain on a paper towel. Repeat with remaining batter. Sel roti are best eaten within a few hours while still slightly crisp.
A Desi.Net original recipe · part of our Indian Cuisine library. Confirm details and adjust to taste.