Sel Roti (Nepali Rice Doughnut Rings)

Method

1. Wash the rice until the water runs clear and soak it in plenty of water for 8 h. Overnight is easiest; it is ready when a grain crumbles easily between your fingers.

   Add in this stepWhite rice (long-grain or regular) 140 g

2. Drain the rice in a sieve for 15 minutes so it is properly dry. Put it in a blender with the sugar, ghee, banana, cardamom, salt and half the milk and blend for 3 min, adding the rest of the milk little by little. Grind it very fine, with only the faintest grain left; it should be like thick pancake batter that flows from your hand in an unbroken stream. Too thin and the rings spread; too thick and it won't pour.

   Add in this stepSugar 35 gGhee or melted butter 1 tbspRipe banana ½Ground cardamom ¼ tspSalt 1 pinchMilk 70 ml

3. Cover and leave at room temperature for 1 h. The rice absorbs the liquid, so the batter turns smooth and fries crisper. If it has thickened, loosen it with milk a tablespoon at a time.

4. Pour oil into a completely dry 20 cm deep pot or wok, no more than a third full, and heat on medium heat for 8 min to 175 °C. Without a thermometer, drop in a little batter: it should bubble and rise within 2–3 seconds. Never leave hot oil unattended; if it catches fire, cover it with a lid and turn off the heat. Never use water.

   Add in this stepVegetable oil for deep-frying 0.6 L

   medium heat

5. Stir the batter and fill a squeeze bottle or piping bag with an 8 mm opening (Nepali cooks hold the batter in their fist and let it run between thumb and forefinger). Holding it low over the oil to avoid splashes, pour a 12 cm circle in one movement and join the ends into a ring. Fry on medium heat for 1 min 30 sec, until it floats and the underside is light brown, then flip with long chopsticks or a skewer and fry 1 min 30 sec more. Fry 1 or 2 at a time, 6 in total.

   medium heat

6. Lift each ring out on a skewer, shake off the oil and stand it upright on a rack or in a colander to drain. Check the oil stays at 170–180 °C between batches. Sel roti is good warm or cooled and chewy, with yoghurt, potato achar or milky tea.