This, being the month of Christmas, a holiday celebrated among 160 of the 195 countries that make up this planet, I’ve decided to do a monthly installment of how different countries around the world celebrate this special holiday in their kitchens and feature their signature holiday meals. Some may be sides, some may be mains, maybe a dessert or two, some may be a complete dinner. Only time will tell by which country my girls have randomly pulled out of Santa’s hat.
Have I been quarantined in Asia? This is now my third Asian dish, in-a-row, for my “Christmas In...” series! Today is also the last day of this absolutely crazy year. Much like Time Magazine can sometimes select very controversial figures for their “Person of the Year”, I decided to artfully pay homage to what will clearly go down as one of the most tumultuous, scary, disruptive, and depressing years in our collective, living memory. Let’s review; shall we?...Eh, perhaps not. Some wounds are still too fresh.
Today’s dish is Sel Roti, a sweet fry bread from Nepal that is typically served in the shape of a circle during Dashain and Tihar (which were celebrated in October and November, respectively) and for other momentous occasions and celebrations. I found this to be a fitting dish to celebrate the last day of 2020 as the circle is the symbol of life. This year has brought us full circle. Starting with hope for a promising new year. Dealing with a pandemic. Shrinking our social circles. Spending much more time with our immediate family, Cruel death; longing for hugs; and now, closing the circle on the year and the decade. Bringing on the next, with a hope of reaching the warm light, seen far off in the distance at the end of this dark tunnel which we’ve been traversing for over 9 months, in the States, and still some more way to go to reach some semblance of normalcy.
I hope you have found some new joys in life this year. I hope you do not experience any loss, and only joy, in the new year. 2020, you were a cruel bastard. But, it is now time to leave the past where it belongs and start our journey along the circle once more. Have a great new year and remember...head towards the light!
Sel Roti
This recipe makes approximately 12 5-inch Roti. You will need a stick blender to process the ingredients and are aiming for the consistency of pancake or funnel cake batter. The easiest way to control pouring the batter into the oil, is to cut the top 4 inches off of a 2 litre bottle and use it as a funnel. Let the batter pour out of the inverted bottle neck as you circle the pot of hot oil. Use your hand as a stopper as you complete the circle and place the top in an empty bowl. Refill the top and repeat the process until all the batter has been used.
5 cups of uncooked jasmine, basmati, or texmati rice
1.25 cups of sugar
½ cup coconut milk
2.5 tsp cinnamon
2.5 tsp cardamom
1 stick of butter, melted
½ tbsp baking powder
4+ cups frying oil
Place the rice in a large bowl and cover with water. Stir with your hands to help rinse the starch from the rice; then pour off the water. Cover the rice with a few inches of fresh water and let soak overnight (at least 8 hours).
After the rice has soaked, pour off the water and start to pulverize the rice into small pieces with an immersion blender. Then add the sugar and continue to blend until it becomes pasty. You will need to bang the immersion blender to remove caked-up rice. Then add in the coconut milk and purée. Stir in the spices, melted butter, and baking powder, and continue to blend until fully incorporated and it reaches a batter-like consistency.
In a deep-sided, medium-sized frying pan, heat the oil to ~370 degrees. Use a ladle (approx 1/2 cup) to pour about a cup of the batter into the inverted bottle top (see cooking note above) and pour the batter into a shape of a 4-6" circle and fry until lightly browned. Using 2 skewers (or butter knives, or chop sticks) flip the ring and fry the second side until golden brown.
Using the 2 skewers, lift the fried ring and let the excess oil drip back into the pan. Place the fried ring on a wire-rack above a paper towel lined baking sheet to drain and cool. Repeat the frying process with the remaining batter and maintaining the oil temperature between 350-370 degrees.
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Copyright 2020, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.