Roti Canai

Roti Canai actually means "thin or flat bread" or pancake in Malay. But then this delightful Malaysian pancake really is quite special.

It is a food, snack and perhaps delicacy put together, where everyone enjoys eating it, especially for breakfast and afternoon tea.

Roti canai can be found especially in nearly all Indian Muslim (or Malaysians call them "mamak") restaurants, food-courts and stalls, in the towns of Pahang and Malaysia.

It is rather fast and easy to make, but there is a special skill required to knead, toss and spin the dough into thin slices which comes only with regular practice.

Watch the above video snippet, on what needs to be done (that is, the skills required) to flatten the dough before baking it on the griddle. See how the cook spins the dough into a thin piece before adding some ingredients.

It looks rather easy to do, but when I tried it, the dough splattered all over!

You can see in the video that sardine (beaten with eggs and onions) are added to the dough before putting it onto the hot griddle or frying pan. This variation of the cuisine is called "roti canai sardin" or just "roti sardin".

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And if you wish to make this simple flour based cuisine, here’s the recipe. Actually making your own roti canai is very easy.

INGREDIENTS

1 kg wheat flour
3 tablespoon margarine
1 egg
1teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon of refined sugar
water and cooking oil

COOKING METHOD

* Put the flour, margarine, egg, salt and sugar into a bowl and mix them thoroughly.

* Add water gradually into the bowl, then mix and knead the ingredients until it turns into a soft dough.

* Divide the dough into balls (palm size). Sprinkle some cooking oil onto the balls and leave them to stand for the night.

* The next day the ball of dough is flattened and then heated on a griddle or a heavy based frying pan, into a pancake.

It is at this point that the skilled cook will knead, toss and spin the dough into a thin piece and join the ends together making a somewhat square pancake, before putting it onto the griddle.

For the rest of us who can only spin the dough (and watch it fall onto the floor! ), it will suffice to just roll and flatten the ball of dough by hand or by using a roller, into thin, round pancakes.

The pancake is cooked and ready for serving when it turns light yellow, although some people would prefer it to be burned a bit longer and thus crispier.

SERVING CHOICE

Roti canai is normally served and eaten with dhall or curry sauce. It can be eaten with chicken or beef rendang or other dishes and gravy.

It can also be adapted into a roti canai telur (egg), roti sardine, murtabak, or with fruits (like bananas) or whatever ingredients that could be wrapped inside the dough before heating it.

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Well, that's generally how this wonderful Malaysian pancake is made.

Whenever you’re in Kuantan, or other towns in Pahang or Malaysia, try this special Malaysian pancake, and watch how it is first tossed and spread out thin before baking. Really delightful just to watch the cook’s skill.

This ubiquitous snack can be turned into a sumptuous meal just by adding ingredients to it and eating it with combinations of chicken, fish, beef or mutton curries and other tasty dishes.

And make sure you down it with a cup of "teh tarik" (Malaysian tea with milk). Ahh, simply awesome.

That is why it is a popular snack or meal in Pahang and Malaysia.

Hope you enjoy this Malaysian pancake.

As always, from me...