Chiroti (Karnataka Layered Fried Pastry)

Instructions

1. Make the dough: mix the all-purpose flour, fine semolina and salt in a bowl. Pour in the hot melted ghee and rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture looks like damp sand. Add the water a little at a time and knead into a stiff, smooth dough, 5 to 8 minutes. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
2. Make the saati: beat the softened ghee and rice flour with a spoon into a smooth, fluffy paste, about 2 minutes.
3. Make the badam milk while the dough rests: simmer the whole milk in a heavy saucepan, stirring often, until reduced by about one third, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in the blanched almonds, sugar, saffron threads and ground cardamom and simmer 3 minutes more. Keep warm or chill.
4. Knead the dough briefly and divide it into 6 equal balls. Dusting with the rice flour, roll each into a very thin circle about 9 inches (23 cm) wide.
5. Lay one circle on the counter and spread it thinly with about one sixth of the saati. Top with a second circle and more saati, then a third circle and more saati. Make a second stack the same way with the remaining 3 circles and saati.
6. Roll each stack up tightly from one edge into a log. Cut each log into 8 pieces about 1 inch (2.5 cm) wide. Set each piece cut-side up and gently roll it into a disc about 3 inches (7.5 cm) wide, so the spiral layers show.
7. Heat the vegetable oil in a kadai or deep pan to 320°F (160°C). Slide in 2 or 3 chiroti, spiral side up, and spoon hot oil over the centers until they puff and the layers fan open, about 1 minute. Flip and fry, spooning oil, until crisp and pale golden, 2 to 3 minutes more.
8. Drain on a rack set over paper towels, standing them on their edges for the first minute. Dust generously with the powdered sugar while still warm, and cool for 10 minutes.
9. Serve as is, or crush a chiroti on each plate, sift on a little more powdered sugar and pour over the warm or chilled badam milk at the table.