Recipes and Cooking Tips

Golden & Crispy: The Story of Nepali Sel Roti—A Traditional Festive Rice Bread

Sedi Djentuh
Servings: 15 Total Time: 9 hrs 3 mins Difficulty: Beginner
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Sel Roti is a traditional homemade rice bread known for its crisp exterior, soft, airy interior, and lightly sweet flavor.  

It’s made from a smooth batter of rice flour, sugar, ghee, and oil. You can add aromatic spices such as cardamom to the mixture. The batter is poured by hand in a circular shape into hot oil, forming a ring. Once fried, it becomes golden brown with a crunchy outside and a soft, bread-like center.

Selroti is commonly enjoyed with yogurt, tea, milk, or savory sides like potatoes or meat curries, making it versatile for both sweet and savory pairings.

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Golden & Crispy: The Story of Nepali Sel Roti—A Traditional Festive Rice Bread

Author: Sedi Djentuh Cooking Method: , Cuisine: Courses: ,
Difficulty: Beginner Prep Time 9 hrs Cook Time 3 mins Total Time 9 hrs 3 mins
Servings: 15
Best Season: Suitable throughout the year

Description

Sel Roti is a traditional homemade rice bread known for its crisp exterior, soft, airy interior, and lightly sweet flavor.  
Background and Origin

Sel Roti has its roots in Nepal’s rural households, where families traditionally prepared it during major Hindu festivals such as Dashain and Tihar. Rice, a staple crop in Nepal, was used creatively to make Sel Roti as a festive alternative to everyday meals.

Historically, Sel Roti preparation was a communal activity, often led by elders who passed down the technique through generations. Making Sel Roti required skill, patience, and practice—pouring the batter evenly into hot oil was considered an art.

The dish also holds spiritual importance. It is often prepared as an offering to deities and shared with relatives and neighbors as a sign of goodwill and celebration.

Ingredients

Instructions

Video

  1. How to Make Sel Roti

    1. Wash and soak the jasmine rice overnight. Drain the rice and reserve the water for later use. Divide the soaked rice into two parts and blend one part. The result should feel like sand. 
    2. Then add 1.5 cups of the soaked rice water to the other part of the rice and blend. 
    3. Mix the two blends. 
    4. Add the sugar and butter to a different bowl and mix evenly with your clean hand. This will take some time to mix thoroughly. 
    5. After mixing the butter and sugar consistently, add it to the rice blend. Mix well with your clean hands. Continue to mix thoroughly until even.
    6. Add the rice flour to the mixture and mix. 
    7. Cover the mixture and let it rest for at least 8 hours or overnight.
    8. Using the upper half of any 12-oz bottle, fill it with the rice mixture.
    9. Put the oil on high heat until very hot.  
    10. With the rice mixture in the top bottle, drop it to make a ring of sel roti in the oil. Join the ends with chopsticks. Repeat until you fry all the mixture to golden brown for about 1.5 minutes on both sides.
    11. Enjoy with a cup of coffee, tea, or your favorite drink.
    Video credit: Sanas Carte–YouTube

Note

Tips for Making Sel Roti

  • Soak the rice properly. Use raw rice and soak it for at least 6–8 hours or overnight. Proper soaking ensures a smooth batter and soft interior.
  • Grind to a smooth, pourable batter. The batter should be thick but flow easily—not runny. A smooth batter prevents breakage while frying.
  • Let the batter rest.  Resting the batter for at least 8 hours allows flavors to develop and improves texture.
  • Use ghee or clarified butter for flavor.  Adding ghee gives Sel Roti its signature aroma and rich taste.
  • Control the oil temperature. Medium heat is key. Oil that’s too hot will brown the outside quickly while leaving the inside uncooked.
  • Practice the circular pour.  Pour the batter in a steady, circular motion close to the oil surface to maintain the ring shape.
  • Flip gently and only once. Turn the Sel Roti carefully to avoid breaking it and to keep it airy inside.
  • Avoid overcrowding the pan. Fry one or two at a time to maintain oil temperature and even cooking.

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Deeply tied to Nepali culture, Sel Roti is more than a snack; it’s a symbol of celebration, hospitality, and tradition.

Today, Sel Roti remains a cherished part of Nepali identity. Whether made at home during festivals or sold by street vendors year-round, it continues to connect modern Nepal to its culinary heritage.

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