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Authentic Roti canai Recipe Malaysia, Asia
JUMP TO RECIPEWe strongly advise you to read the cooking tips before jumping to the recipe though
Introduction & history
Roti canai, a traditional Malaysian flatbread that can also be found in other Southeast Asian countries, is made with only a few ingredients, namely flour, water, salt, and, traditionally, ghee (clarified butter). However, nowadays, cooking oil is often substituted for ghee, mainly due to price reasons. After combining the ingredients, the dough is kneaded until it becomes smooth and elastic, but the prowess of the cook shows itself in the shaping process. The dough is skillfully spun, tossed, and stretched into a thin, almost translucent layer, which is then folded and shaped into a round or a square, creating multiple flaky layers in the process. Roti canai is typically cooked on a flat griddle until golden brown, revealing its flaky texture and buttery flavor. It's commonly served as a delicious breakfast or a side dish, usually accompanying dhal (lentil curry), chicken, or fish curry. The combo of roti canai and teh tarik, a sweetened hot milk tea, is a well-established ... Read more
Serve With
Cooking tips
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flour
The type of flour best suited for this flatbread is soft flour with low amounts of gluten. In the US, that would be all-purpose flour; in Germany, 405 flour; in Italy, 00 flour. In most Western countries, it is the flour marketed as ideal for making and baking cookies and cakes. In Malaysia, atta flour is typically preferred, atta flour being whole wheat flour that results in a strong dough that can ... Read more -
ghee or oil
The traditional recipe calls for ghee, but for cost reasons, most have switched to using oil, making both ghee and oil authentic options. -
additional ingredients
Often, recipes include milk, condensed milk, and eggs to create a richer, stronger dough that will stretch easily. -
resting the dough
Once portioned out, the dough needs to be covered in butter or oil and left to rest so the gluten can relax. This time can vary from half an hour to overnight, depending on the recipe. In any case, if the dough is left to rest overnight, it should rest in the refrigerator, or it will soak up too much oil and be hard to stretch out because it will break easily. If you're resting the dough for only ... Read more -
stretching the dough
The precise instructions on how to stretch the dough are given in each of the recipes. Yet, if you don't succeed at first, remember that practice makes perfect. Also, if you end up with smaller tears in your stretched dough, that's okay. You want to avoid big tears and unstretched dough.
Recipe variations
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Traditional Roti Canai Flatbread
Ready in 4h 15minThe following is the traditional roti canai flatbread recipe, calling for only flour, ghee, salt, and water. The dough is kneaded well, covered in oil or butter, and rested, which is crucial as this step makes it very stretchy. The recipe also gives instructions on how to stretch out the dough the way cooks do at mamak stalls in Malaysia and Singapore, so you can easily replicate this traditional preparation method.
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Super Soft Roti Canai Flatbread
Ready in 4h 30minThe following is the recipe for a super soft roti canai flatbread. The basic dough is enriched with milk and condesed milk resulting in a strong, yet pliable dough. Other than that, the preparation is the same as in the case of the traditional recipe. The recipe is courtesy of chef Chandra from Traders Hotel Kuala Lumpur’s Gobo Chit Chat restaurant.
Traditional Roti Canai Flatbread
PREP 45min
COOK 30min
RESTING 3h
READY IN 4h 15min
The following is the traditional roti canai flatbread recipe, calling for only flour, ghee, salt, and water. The dough is kneaded well, covered in oil or butter, and rested, which is crucial as this step makes it very stretchy. The recipe also gives instructions on how to stretch out the dough the way cooks do at mamak stalls in Malaysia and Singapore, so you can easily replicate this traditional preparation method.
Ingredients
2 cups (240g) plain flour
1⁄2 cup (110g) ghee
a pinch of salt
1 cup (240 ml) water
oil or butter, for greasing
Preparation
Step 1/9
Begin by blending flour, salt, and ghee in a mixing bowl. Gradually incorporate water into this mixture and proceed to knead it. Continue this process until the dough achieves a smooth texture and is not sticky.
Step 2/9
Next, lightly coat your hands with cooking oil and shape the dough into 6 balls.
Step 3/9
Grease the balls with oil some more, if needed, and arrange them in a pan. Cover with cling film.
Step 4/9
Then, allow these dough balls to rest for a period of 2 to 3 hours; for best results, letting them sit overnight is highly recommended. When the dough is adequately rested and ready, proceed to flatten each ball.
Step 5/9
Flatten the ball first by hand, and then grab it by the sides and slap it against the oiled work surface to stretch it out. Repeat this process, only grabbing it from different sides each time to get a uniformly thin sheet of dough. In between those, or instead of them, you can stretch the dough out by hand, similar to phyllo dough.
Step 6/9
Fold into a rectangle, or fold into a long rectangle and shape into a roll, then twist to make a cylinder and tuck the free end underneath. If you opt for the cylinder-shaped roti, when shaped, flatten it with your hands.
Step 7/9
Cook on an oiled griddle pan over medium heat for a few minutes, flipping a few times.
Step 8/9
When cooked, crush the bread two times between your hands, each time from two different directions, to scrunch it up.
Step 9/9
Serve warm.
Other Variations
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Super Soft Roti Canai Flatbread
Ready in 4h 30minThe following is the recipe for a super soft roti canai flatbread. The basic dough is enriched with milk and condesed milk resulting in a strong, yet pliable dough. Other than that, the preparation is the same as in the case of the traditional recipe. The recipe is courtesy of chef Chandra from Traders Hotel Kuala Lumpur’s Gobo Chit Chat restaurant.
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