A ring-shaped, lightly sweet fermented rice bread, crisp outside and soft within.

Where does Sel Roti come from?

Sel Roti is a Nepali dish from Kathmandu Valley, Nepal.

Can Sel Roti be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?

Yes. This Sel Roti recipe includes ingredient substitutions to make it vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, or egg-free — including several of those at once, such as gluten-free and dairy-free together.

How long does Sel Roti take to make?

About 50 minutes total (30 minutes prep, 20 minutes cooking), serving 6.

Sel Roti — a Kathmandu Valley, Nepal recipe

Name: Sel Roti
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Nepali
Ingredients: 3 cups rice, soaked and ground to a batter; 1/2 cup sugar; 1 tsp cardamom; a pinch a pinch of salt; 1 or 2 tbsp banana or ghee (optional, for richness); as needed oil for deep-frying

Asia → 🇳🇵 Nepal → Kathmandu Valley

Sel Roti

Nepali · medium · serves 6

prep 30 min · cook 20 min

~437 cal · 7g protein · 99g carbs · 1g fat (estimated, per serving)

🍽️

Golden ring-shaped fried rice breads

🇳🇵 Kathmandu Valley

Sel roti is Nepal's festive ring bread, a batter of soaked, ground rice sweetened and spiced, then poured in a circle into hot oil to fry into a crisp, chewy loop. Central to Tihar and Dashain celebrations, it is also a beloved breakfast with tea, its faint sweetness and cardamom perfume unmistakable.

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Make it yours

Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.

🥕 Vegetarian

🌱 Vegan

🌾 Gluten-Free

🥛 Dairy-Free

🥜 Nut-Free

🥚 Egg-Free

Ingredients

Serves 6 —

•

3 cups rice, soaked and ground to a batter

•

1/2 cup sugar

•

1 tsp cardamom

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a pinch a pinch of salt

•

1 or 2 tbsp banana or ghee (optional, for richness)

•

as needed oil for deep-frying

Instructions

1

Grind the soaked rice with a little water into a thick, smooth batter and rest it a few hours.

2

Beat in the sugar, cardamom, and salt.

3

Pour the batter in a circle into hot oil from a cup or bottle.

4

Fry, turning once, until golden and crisp on the outside.

5

Drain and serve warm with tea or yogurt.

Kathmandu Valley tradition.

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🌏 While it simmers — know your destination

📍

Kathmandu Valley. Newar courtyards and the twice-daily ritual of dal bhat.

🗺️

Nepal. Himalayan kitchens where dal bhat powers every trek.

🌍

Asia. From street-cart woks to slow monastery kitchens.

The story behind this dish is up top — worth a read while the pot works.

👩‍🍳

Richard Moore & Kelsey Tucker

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