Sel roti
Vegetarian
सेल रोटी · Sel roti
Sweet, ring-shaped rice-flour doughnuts scented with cardamom and fried until crisp outside and chewy within — made in every Nepali home for Tihar and Dashain.
Sel roti is a Nepalese sweet, ready in about 2 hours 45 minutes and made with rice flour, sugar and ghee. It serves 6 and is rated intermediate to cook.
No licensed photograph of this dish yet.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Rest
- 2 h
- Total
- 2 h 45 min
- Serves
- 6
- Level
- Intermediate
- Calories
- 438
Method
Step 1
Whisk (opens in a new tab) the rice flour (opens in a new tab), sugar (opens in a new tab), ghee (opens in a new tab), banana (opens in a new tab), cardamom (opens in a new tab) and enough milk (opens in a new tab) into a thick batter like heavy cream. Beat for 2 minutes, then rest for 2 hours (or overnight in the fridge).
How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels Step 2
Heat the oil in a wok (opens in a new tab) to 175 °C.
Food safety: Never leave hot oil unattended; keep a lid nearby.
How it looks · Photo: Aesthos AR. Photography on Pexels Step 3
Fill a piping bag (or a small bottle or your hand, traditionally) with batter and pipe a ring about 10 cm across into the oil. Fry for about 1 minute per side, turning with a skewer, until golden brown.
- 20 min
- 175°C
Food safety: Lower the batter close to the oil surface to avoid splashes.
Step 4
Drain upright on paper towels. Stir the batter between batches, adding a splash of milk (opens in a new tab) if it thickens.
- 2 min
About this dish
- Origin
- Nepal · Well documentedAlso popular in IndiaMore food from Nepal
- Dish
- Breakfast · Snack · Sweets & confectionery · Breads & flatbreads
- Cooking method
- Deep-fried
- Taste
- sweet, aromatic / warmly spiced
- Diet
- Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No gluten ingredients · No nut ingredientsWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
All labels
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-sodium - Good for
- Festive & celebration · Portable / lunchbox · Make-ahead
- Techniques
- Deep-frying
Allergens
- Contains: Milkfrom ghee, milk
Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.
Nutrition
438 kcal per serving
Calculated1 serving ≈ 117 g · recipe makes 6
Where the energy comes from
- Protein 4%
- Carbohydrate 54%
- Fat 42%
| Nutrient | Per serving | Per 100 g |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 438 kcal | 375 kcal |
| Protein | 4.4 g | 3.8 g |
| Carbohydrate | 59.8 g | 51.3 g |
| Net carbohydrate | 58.1 g | 49.8 g |
| Sugars | 17.7 g | 15.2 g |
| Added sugars | 13.3 g | 11.4 g |
| Fibre | 1.8 g | 1.5 g |
| Fat | 20.4 g | 17.5 g |
| Saturated fat | 5.9 g | 5.1 g |
| Trans fat | — | — |
| Cholesterol | 21 mg | 18 mg |
| Sodium | 17 mg | 14 mg |
| Salt equivalent | 0 g | 0 g |
Vitamins & minerals per serving
- Potassium
- 161 mg
- Calcium
- 50 mg
- Iron
- 0.3 mg
- Magnesium
- 27 mg
- Vitamin A (RAE)
- 74 µg
- Vitamin C
- 2 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.5 µg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.2 µg
- Folate (DFE)
- 8 µg
How these numbers were made
- Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
- “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
- Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.
Good to know
Tips
- If the rings spread and break up, the batter is too thin — add a spoon of rice flour.
Common mistakes
- Oil that is too cool makes greasy, flat sel roti.
Serve with
- Eat with tea, yogurt, or aloo tarkari.
Storage
- Keeps 3–4 days in an airtight tin at room temperature — they are traditionally made ahead for festival visits.
Reheating
- Warm briefly in a dry pan or oven.
Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated
Recipe DNA
How this dish is built
Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.
What the dish is built around
Main ingredient
- Rice flour300 g
- Ghee3 tbsp · 40 g
- Banana, very ripe, mashed1 piece · 118 g
- Milk220 ml · 227 g
Baker’s notes
Customise in Bread & BakeryTimeline and readiness cues
Mix and knead · about 15 min
Knead until smooth and soft; it should feel like an earlobe.
Rest · about 2 h
Covered so it doesn't dry out; relaxed dough rolls and shapes without springing back.
Bake · about 30 min
Puffed with golden-brown spots on both sides.
- Start to finish: about 2 h 45 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.
If something goes wrong
Pale crust
Likely causes
- Oven too cool
- Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
- Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)
What to do
- Check the oven with a thermometer
- Brush with egg wash or milk
- Shorten the fermentation
Burnt bottom
Likely causes
- Tray too close to the heat
- Dark tray absorbs more heat
- Too much sugar in the dough
What to do
- Bake on the middle shelf
- Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
- Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
Reviews & corrections
Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.
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