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Fini roti
Layered fried sugar bread
फिनी रोटी (fini roti): flaky, many-layered fried bread made for Tihar and dusted with sugar
During Tihar, the five-day festival of lights in late autumn, sisters in Kathmandu and Pokhara prepare a basket of treats for Bhai Tika, and fini roti, a crisp round of fried bread made of dozens of paper-thin layers, sits in it beside sel roti, nuts and sweets. A simple dough of flour and ghee is rolled very thin, spread with a paste of ghee and rice flour, rolled into a log and cut, so that each piece fans out in the hot oil into a flaky spiral that shatters at the first bite. It is lightly dusted with sugar, lasts for days in a tin, and is eaten with tea or given to visiting relatives. The layers vanish if you make the paste with melted ghee, which seeps out instead of staying put. Chef's tip: beat the ghee and rice flour together until fluffy and pale like soft butter, and keep the dough cool so the layers stay distinct.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the dough
- 10 ½ oz plain flour
- 1 /4 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp ghee, melted
- ½ cup cold waterapproximately
For the layering paste
- 2 ⅛ oz ghee, soft (not melted)
- 3 tbsp rice flour
To fry and finish
- 4 ¼ cups vegetable oil, for deep frying
- 3 tbsp caster sugar, for dusting
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Mix 10 ½ oz plain flour and 1 /4 tsp salt, rub in 3 tbsp ghee, melted, then add ½ cup cold water gradually and knead for 5 minutes to a smooth, firm dough. Cover and rest for 15 minutes.
5 minStep 2: Beat 2 ⅛ oz ghee, soft (not melted) with 3 tbsp rice flour for 2–3 minutes until pale and fluffy.
3 minStep 3: Divide the dough into 4. Roll one piece into a very thin rectangle, about 1 mm, and spread with a quarter of the paste.
8 minStep 4: Roll it up tightly from the long side into a log, then cut into 4 cm pieces. Repeat with the remaining dough.
8 minStep 5: Stand each piece on a cut end, press it flat with your palm, then roll lightly into a 10 cm round, so the spirals show on top.
5 minStep 6: Heat 4 ¼ cups vegetable oil, for deep frying to 325°F in a deep pan over a medium heat; a scrap of dough should rise slowly with small bubbles.
3 minStep 7: Fry 2–3 at a time for 3–4 minutes, spooning oil over the top, until the layers open and the roti is pale gold and crisp. Drain on a rack.
15 minStep 8: Dust with 3 tbsp caster sugar, for dusting while warm and store in an airtight tin for up to 2 weeks.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 38 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does fini roti take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of ghee, melted?
- Butter, same amount (keep the heat a little lower, butter burns sooner).
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