Roti Canai is a popular Malaysian style fried bread similar to our Kerala style Parotta. Flour, eggs, milk and loads of fat mainly ghee or margarine is used to give a flaky texture. The process is similar to our Parotta but with extra ingredients which alters the taste and texture. Another popular version from Singapore is called Roti Prata, similar ingredients and process except for the folding. Roti refers to bread in Malay. Wiki has some interesting facts about the term “Canai” or pronounce “Chan nai” check it out roti canai
Before you start, please red this
- Roti canai is flat bread often has many variations depending on the region.
- Shaped either round or square.
- Comes with or without filling.
- Some dough includes egg. Dough without egg yields crispy roti and with egg version yields richer taste and soft rotis.
- Don’t get alarmed by the quantity of oil which is liberally used in this recipe to lubricate the dough and to make the dough stretch easily.
- Soaking the dough for few hours helps to make soft stretchy dough.
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| Ingredients | |
|---|---|
| 3 cups | Maida / Plain Flour / Bleached All purpose / Refined Flour |
| 1 teaspoon | Salt |
| 1/2 teaspoon | Sugar |
| 1 | Egg |
| 2 tablespoons | Ghee / margarine (room temperature) |
| 1/2 cup | Milk |
| 1/2 cup | Water |
| 2 teaspoons | Ghee or margarine or vanaspathi (for rubbing) |
| 15 teaspoons | Oil (for spreading and toasting) |
Sieve Maida and salt, mix sugar in warm milk, cream the margarine. Now start mixing everything together including egg, gradually adding water, gather to form a thick dough. Knead for 15 minutes adding few drops of oil to make it elastic and soft.
Pinch the dough to make small portions, roll between your palm to form a soft ball.
Stretch out the dough either pulling from sides or using a rolling pin. Professionals flip in the air in circular motion, but needs lot of practice. Just use a regular rolling pin to start with and roll out. We need a very thin transparent sheet of dough. It would tear, but its OK… keep stretching as much as possible. Pour a drop of oil in the center and spreading all over the sheet.
Gather from both sides to form a long rope like structure and start rolling from one corner and seal the end.
This is how it should look like, when done.
Repeat the process for the rest of the dough, brush with oil, cover the dough buds with a soft cloth until its ready for frying.
If its possible press and rotate with your palm to stretch like a parotta. This technique needs lot of practice, so better gently roll out using a rolling pin.
Heat a iron griddle (we need medium high heat), place the parotta and fry this side for 30 seconds.
Flip to the other, fry for another 30 seconds. Pour few drops of oil from the sides of the griddle, this should make them sizzle and puff up slightly.
Flip again and brown them evenly and voila!! Remove and place on the kitchen counter and tap it from both corner while its still hot to make its loose and fluffy. Repeat the process for the rest of the dough buds.
Non veg gravy that suits roti prata/ roti canai….. Chicken stew , Chicken Kurma, Chicken Kuzhambu, Kozhi Kuzhambu, Egg Salna, Chicken Salna, Kothu Kari Kuzhambu, Mutton Curry, Mutton Kurma
Veg gravy that suits this dish… Vegetarian Chalna, Side gravy, Hotel Kurma
Notes
- Makes 12 ( 4″ each diameter)
- In Malaysia, this recipe is purely made with margarine, its OK to substitute with ghee/oil/vanaspathi.
- All- purpose works but the prata texture differs. Double refined or bleached flour works well.
- Check out the video for styling the Parotta here which might be helpful for this preparation.
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