Sel Roti

Deep-fried crispy rice ring bread — a batter of soaked and ground rice, sugar, cardamom, and banana (for sweetness and binding) poured in a circular motion into hot oil to form a hollow, ring-shaped bread that fries until golden, crunchy on the outside and slightly chewy within. The sel roti is the Sikkimese-Nepali festive bread; made for Dashain, Tihar, and other major festivals in enormous quantities by women working through the night before the celebration. The outer crunch and the subtly sweet, rice-fragrant interior make it impossible to eat just one. Sold at roadside stalls alongside tea; eaten as a snack, breakfast, or dessert.