Coorg-style cheroti

Method
Prep:30min  ›  Cook:10min  ›  Ready in:40min 

1. Combine 60ml of the vegetable oil with the plain flour or maida. Mix well.
2. Add a little water to the mixture at a time, stirring after each addition. The dough should not stick to the fingers, but should be soft.
3. Divide the dough into small pieces of the size of a medium lemon.
4. Roll each piece into a round and thin oval, like a chapati.
5. Place the remaining 60ml vegetable oil in a saucepan and warm over a low heat. Add 5 tablespoons of rice flour to the warm oil and mix well into a creamy paste. Let it cool down to room temperature.
6. Take one thin oval of rolled out dough and smear with the creamy paste on one side.
7. Place another oval over the first one and smear with the paste. Repeat this step once or twice to have three to four layers.
8. Roll the dough into a cylindrical shape. Cut across into small pieces of 2cm.
9. Place each piece flat on the rolling surface and press lightly with fingers.
10. Roll out very lightly with a rolling pin to about 1mm thick.
11. Heat enough oil in a saucepan to deep fry the pieces of dough. Once the oil is hot, deep fry in oil till light brown. Don't overcrowd the pan; you may have to fry in batches. Remove from oil.
12. Sprinkle icing sugar on both the sides when hot to form a thin coat.

Tip

Instead of coating with sugar, chat masala mixture or a mixture of salt and spices can also be used.

Ingredients

Maida is a very fine refined plain white flour that is used in India for cakes and pastries. You can find maida in Asian shops, or use regular plain flour for a similar result.
Vanaspati is hydrogenated vegetable oil. You can also use ghee or regular vegetable oil.