Rice Flour Pastry with Jaggery Coconut and Sesame

Introduction

You cook the rice flour dough on the stove first, stirring it into sweetened water with jaggery, cinnamon, and ghee until it reaches chapati-dough consistency. The filling is simply coconut and sugar cooked until golden, then finished with sesame seeds for extra crunch. This is a large-batch sweet pastry that fits festive cooking, sharing, or making ahead for a few days of snacking.

Recipe Details

• Prep Time: 45 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
• Servings: 12

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 raw sugar in the dough for a lighter color and a cleaner, less molasses-like sweetness.
• Use vegetable oil instead of ghee in the filling and for frying if you want a dairy-free version; the pastries will taste less rich but the texture will stay similar.
• Swap the powdered cinnamon for ground cardamom if you want a more floral spice note that pairs well with coconut.
• Mix the sesame seeds directly into the coconut filling before stuffing if you want the crunch distributed more evenly through each pastry.
• Shape the dough into smaller pieces for bite-size pastries; they fry faster and give you more crisp edge per piece.

Tips for Success

• Add the rice flour slowly to the boiling liquid and stir continuously so you do not end up with dry lumps in the dough.
• Stop cooking the dough once the water is absorbed and it feels like chapati dough; if you keep cooking, it can turn stiff and harder to roll.
• Cook the coconut filling only until golden brown, not dark brown, because it continues to deepen slightly after you take it off the heat.
• Knead the cooled rice mixture until smooth before shaping; any cracks at this stage usually turn into splits during frying.
• Seal the dough well around the filling so the coconut mixture does not leak into the hot oil or ghee.

Storage and Reheating

Store the pastries fully cooled in an airtight container lined with paper towel in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. For longer storage, freeze them in a single layer until firm, then transfer to a freezer-safe container or bag for up to 1 month.

Reheat in a 350°F / 175°C oven for 8 to 12 minutes, or until heated through and crisp again. An air fryer works well at the same temperature for 4 to 6 minutes. You can use a microwave for speed, but the pastry will soften instead of crisping.

FAQ

Can you make the dough ahead of time?

Yes. Wrap it well and refrigerate it for up to 1 day, then let it sit at room temperature and knead it again before shaping.

Why is the rice dough cracking when you roll it?

It is usually too cool or too dry. Knead it with slightly damp hands, or work in a very small splash of warm water until it smooths out.

Can you use dried coconut instead of fresh coconut flesh?

Yes, but the filling will be less juicy and a little chewier. If you use dried coconut, add enough moisture while cooking so it does not taste dry inside the pastry.

Can you bake these instead of deep frying?

You can, but the texture changes. The outside will be drier and less evenly browned, so frying is still the method that gives you the intended crust.