Malaysian
Roti Canai (Flaky Malaysian Flatbread)
Knead a soft dough of flour, egg, evaporated milk and ghee, rest it in oil for at least 6 hours, stretch it paper-thin, coil it and pan-fry until flaky; about 8 hours (mostly resting) for 8 roti.
Roti canai is the flaky, chewy flatbread of every mamak stall: a soft, well-rested dough stretched paper-thin, folded into a coil and pan-fried with ghee until crisp outside and layered inside. The secret is time, not skill. A long rest in oil makes the dough stretch easily, so plan to start it in the morning or the night before.
- Serves 8
- Prep: 40 min
- Cook: 30 min
- Total: 8 hr 10 min
Ingredients
Dough
- 500 g (4 cups) plain flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 egg
- 60 ml (1/4 cup) evaporated milk
- 220 ml water, at room temperature
- 2 tbsp ghee, melted
For resting and cooking
- 120 ml (1/2 cup) cooking oil, for coating the dough balls
- 60 g ghee, softened, for spreading and frying
To serve
- Dhal curry or chicken curry
Method
- Mix the flour, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Whisk the egg with the evaporated milk and water, pour it into the flour with the melted ghee, and mix to a rough, slightly sticky dough.
- Knead on the bench for 10 minutes until smooth and stretchy, cover with the bowl, rest for 15 minutes, then knead again for 2 minutes. The dough should feel soft, like an earlobe.
- Divide the dough into 8 equal balls (about 105 g each). Pour the oil into a small tray, roll each ball in it so it is fully coated, cover tightly with cling film and leave at room temperature for at least 6 hours, or up to 12 hours.
- Oil the bench well. Flatten one ball with your palm, then gently pull and push the edges outward with oiled fingers until the dough is thin enough to see the bench through it, about 50 cm (20 in) across. Small holes are fine.
- Spread a thin layer of softened ghee over the sheet. Gather it from one side into a loose pleated rope, then coil the rope into a snail shape and tuck the end underneath. Repeat with the rest and let the coils rest for 10 minutes.
- Heat a heavy frying pan or flat griddle over medium heat. Press one coil out into a round about 18 cm (7 in) across, lay it in the pan with 1 tsp ghee and cook for 2 minutes per side until golden and crisp in spots.
- Lift the hot roti onto the bench and scrunch it between your cupped hands from the sides towards the middle to open up the layers. Serve at once with dhal or curry.
Tips
- Make it overnight: after step 3 the oiled dough balls can rest overnight at room temperature in a cool kitchen; the longer rest makes them easier to stretch.
- No tearing: if the dough tears a lot, it has not rested long enough. Cover it and give it another hour.
- Roti telur: crack an egg onto the stretched sheet in step 5, fold the edges over into a square, and cook as in step 6 for 3 minutes per side.
- Storage: cooked roti freezes well for 1 month between sheets of baking paper. Reheat from frozen in a dry pan for 2 minutes per side.
Questions
Why does my roti canai dough tear when I stretch it?
It has not rested long enough or the dough is too stiff. Keep the dough soft, coat the balls completely in oil and rest them for at least 6 hours at room temperature before stretching.
Can I make roti canai without flipping or tossing the dough?
Yes. Stretch it on an oiled bench by pressing and pulling the edges outward with oiled fingers. Tossing is a stall technique; it is not needed at home.
Can I use butter or margarine instead of ghee?
Yes. Softened butter or margarine works for spreading and frying. Ghee gives the most authentic flavour and crisps better because it has no water.
How do I store and reheat roti canai?
Freeze cooked roti between sheets of baking paper for up to 1 month. Reheat from frozen in a dry pan for about 2 minutes per side.
Is this roti canai halal?
The recipe is pork-free and lists no alcohol. It is not halal-certified: check that the ghee and evaporated milk carry halal certification.
A Dada Cooking original recipe. Quantities are metric first, with US amounts in brackets.