Khapse is the fried pastry of Tibet and the Himalaya, central to Losar, the Tibetan New Year, when households fry batches in auspicious shapes and stack them high on the altar. Crisp and barely sweet, it is a festival food as much as a decoration.
Light, shatteringly crisp and faintly sweet, with the rich nuttiness of egg and butter in every bite. The plainer twists are made for dunking into hot butter tea, where they soften just at the edges.
An egg-and-butter dough fried hot puffs and crisps as moisture flashes off, locking in a flaky, biscuit-like crunch. Twisting before frying exposes more surface area so the pieces cook evenly golden.
Variations
sugar-dusted plain twists, large ornamental donkey-ear khapse for altars, sesame-coated, festival tower bhungue stacks
On the Palate
Where Khapse sits in the Tibetan flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 8How it's made
8 steps · 40 min
- 15 min
Beat eggs, sugar and melted butter together until smooth.
- 235 min
Work in the flour to form a firm, smooth dough and rest it for 30 minutes.
Watch outThe dough should feel firm and dry, not sticky — too soft and the fried pieces go greasy instead of crisp.
- 38 min
Roll the dough out thin and cut into strips or rectangles.
- 415 min
Slit and twist each piece into knots, loops or the classic donkey-ear shape.
- 56 min
Heat oil to a moderate frying temperature in a deep pan.
Watch outOil is ready when a scrap of dough sinks slightly then rises with steady bubbles — too hot and it browns before the inside puffs.
- 612 min
Fry the shapes in batches until golden, crisp and puffed.
Watch outPull them when golden and puffed with tiny blisters — they crisp further as they cool, so don't wait for deep brown.
- 73 min
Lift out and drain well on a rack or paper.
- 86 min
Cool completely, then dust some with sugar and stack into a festive tower.
