Roti Canai

Roti Canai is a delicious breakfast we've been enjoying throughout Malaysia, particularly in the Perhensian islands. I don't know if its a pain to make or not until I've tried it, but you could certainly freeze a load afterwards. As to the sauce, you can use any curry sauce that takes your fancy, I'll be using some kind of dhal with lots of chilli.



Roti means bread in Hindi (and Malay) The term 'canai' comes from 'channa', a mixture of boiled chickpeas in a spicy gravy from Northern India which it was traditionally served with.

Ingredients:

10 oz plain flour
Salt to taste
½ cup ghee [clarified butter] or margarine
½ cup water

Method:

Sieve flour and salt into a mixing bowl
Mix in the ghee, add water gradually, knead until the dough is a smooth, medium consistency
Let dough rest for 2 to 3 hrs to soften
Take a portion of dough, shape into a ball, oil the work top with ghee and work each ball into a very thin sheet - first flatten with your oiled palms, then thin it further by pulling the edges [professionals do it by flipping the dough in the air in a circular motion like a pizza maker does]
Sprinkle the dough sheet with 1 tsp of ghee and fold in edges forming it into a square then sprinkle a little flour and roll out slightly
Alternatively, you can thin out the sheet, oil and roll it up - coil it up like a sea shell, flatten, oil again and repeat the flattening 1 or 2 more times
Preheat griddle or pan, grease well with ghee; when hot, put one roti dough on, cook for 2-3 mins till golden brown. Lift Roti with a spatula, grease the griddle with a tsp of ghee, cook the other side

Further Reading:

Wikipedia
Geocities
More roti