Roti Canai

I have been obsessed with making roti canai ever since I first tried it at Layang Layang, a Malaysian restaurant in San Jose, CA. I experimented with many recipes but could not duplicate the flaky-but-tender layers of this Malaysian flat bread. I tried using buter, canola oil, and clarified butter to no avail. Finally, I succumbed to using margarine (Yech!) which has produced the best results so far. Next time I will try this recipe using ghee and report how it turns out.

The recipe below comes from Shiok, a book by Terry Tan and Christopher Tan


Ingredients:
500 grams (1 lb 2 oz) plain flour, sifted
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
125 mL (1/2 cup) lukewarm water
4 T lukewarm milk
150 grams (5 and 1/4 ounces) vegetable ghee or melted margarine
Makes 12-14 roti canai
Cooking time: 4 minutes per roti canai
Prep time 40 min plus 45 min standing time

1. Combine flour salt and sugar in mixing bowl. Mix water, milk, and 2 T of margarine with hands and knead gently but constantly for about 7 minutes adding more water or flour as necessary for a soft coherent dough. Pinch off pieces the size of large plums and shape into balls. Roll balls in remaining margarine to coat and place on plate. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand in cool place for 45 minutes

2.Have a frying pan set at ready over medium high heat

3. Lightly grease work surface or large chopping board. Place dough ball on it and dab with more melted margarine. Flatten and stretch dough outwards.

4. Fold two opposite edges to center and then other two edges to make square.

My notes:
I took “plain” flour to mean “all purpose” flour
Stretch dough out by putting it on a greased surface and massaging it out
Let dough rest after stretching and shaping before you cook it.
This recipe produced decent layers and flakiness, but the flavor wasn't particularly interesting. Perhaps using ghee will improve the flavor

Roti Dough Balls

Stretching the dough out

Folding

 

 

Cooking

 

Served with a curry dipping sauce