Fried Rice Flour Pastry with Jaggery and Sesame

Introduction

Boiling 1 kg of rice flour with jaggery, cinnamon, and ghee gives you a dough that fries into a crisp shell with a chewy interior. The filling is just browned coconut cooked in ghee and sugar, so you get a straightforward sweet pastry that fits a holiday spread, a tea snack, or a batch you fry ahead and reheat.

Recipe Details

• Prep Time: 45 minutes
• Cook Time: 35 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
• Servings: 20

Ingredients

Dough

• 2 L (8.5 cups) water
• 0.5 kg jaggery or raw sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp powdered cinnamon
• 1 Tbsp ghee
• 1 kg rice flour

Filling

• Ghee
• Shredded fresh coconut flesh
• Sugar

Additional ingredients

• 200 g vegetable oil or ghee
• Sesame seeds

• 200 g vegetable oil or ghee
• Sesame seeds

Instructions

1. Dough: Boil water in a wide-mouth pan. Stir in sugar, salt, cinnamon, and ghee. Slowly and continuously stir in the rice flour. Cover the pan, and cook over low heat until the water is absorbed. The dough should be the consistency of chapati dough. Let cool.
2. Filling: Melt the ghee in a pan over medium heat. Add coconut and sugar. Cook, stirring, until the coconut turns golden brown.
3. Assembly: Knead the cooled rice mixture to make a smooth dough. Make small balls of dough, roll them, and stuff with the fried coconut mixture and sesame seeds.
4. Deep fry the filled pastries in the oil or ghee until golden brown all over.

Variations

• Replace jaggery with the raw sugar listed in the dough for a cleaner sweetness and a lighter color in the finished pastry.
• Swap the ghee in the filling for vegetable oil if you want a dairy-free version; the filling will still brown, but you will lose some richness.
• Increase the sesame seeds in the assembly for more nutty flavor and a slightly drier, more textured filling.
• Use all ghee instead of vegetable oil for frying if you want a more pronounced buttery aroma and a richer crust.
• Roll the dough slightly thicker before stuffing if you want a chewier shell that is less likely to split during frying.

Tips for Success

• Stir the rice flour into the boiling liquid slowly and continuously, or you will end up with lumps that are hard to knead out later.
• Let the dough cool enough to handle before kneading, but do not let it dry out; warm dough is easier to smooth and shape.
• Cook the coconut filling until it is golden brown, not pale, so it tastes toasted instead of raw.
• Keep the dough balls covered while you work so the rice dough does not crack when you roll and fill it.
• Fry until the pastries are golden brown all over, and avoid crowding the pan so the oil temperature stays steady.

Storage and Reheating

Store the pastries completely cooled in an airtight container. Keep them at room temperature for 1 day or in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Freeze in a freezer-safe container or zip-top bag for up to 1 month, with parchment between layers if you stack them.

Reheat in a 325°F oven for 8 to 12 minutes, or until heated through and re-crisped on the outside. An air fryer at 325°F for 4 to 6 minutes also works well. Use the microwave only if needed; it will warm them, but the crust will soften.

FAQ

Why is my rice dough cracking when I roll it?

Rice dough dries out quickly, so keep it covered and work with small portions. If it still cracks, knead it again while it is slightly warm.

Can you use raw sugar instead of jaggery?

Yes. Raw sugar will make the dough a bit less deep and caramel-like, but it will still work well.

Can you make these ahead before frying?

Yes. Shape and fill the pastries, then refrigerate them in a single layer for up to 1 day before frying.

Can you use vegetable oil instead of ghee throughout the recipe?

You can. The pastries will still fry and hold together, but you will lose some of the dairy richness in both the dough and the filling.