COOKING SEL ROTI

Sel-Roti does not need any introduction in Nepali cuisine -- it is one of the most "uniquely Nepali" dishes, a sweet rice bread, distinct from any other breads of the world.  Sel-Roti a large thin puffed-up doughnut and has a crispy texture with reddish brown color.  It is prepared by grinding soaked rice to create a thick batter.  It is then mixed with sugar, clarified butter, mashed banana, water, poured into bubbling oil and deep-fried.  It is a popular as a festive bread for many different occasions.

 Traditional Nepali cooks grind the soaked rice in a heavy rectangular stone mortar and pestle(silauto-baccha), which produces a perfectly texture batter, because it provides the right pressure while grinding.  These days people grind the rice in a blender for convenience.  Traditional versions of Sel-Roti require the batter to be deep-fried in a pure clarified butter(gheu),  but now vegetable oil has replaced gheu for a lighter version of Sel. 

Sel-Roti is always prepared during the Nepali religious festivals of Dashai and Tihaar and for other special occasions such as weddings, birthdays, and family celebrations.  It is also prepared as a sacred food for the gods (naivedya) and offered ritualistically to deities.  Sel is distributed among friends and family as a blessed food (prashaad).