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Roti canai recipe

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Created by Simon Goh

8 comments

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Rating:

3/ 5 stars 23 Votes

Cuisine: Malaysian

Chef Jackie Shonquist also offers her take on roti canai, as served at her Sydney restaurant. Or try this authentic Gujarati lentil soup with roti recipe.

Ingredients

3 cups plain flour
½ cup milk
¼ cup water
Pinch of salt
Pinch of sugar
Butter
Peanut oil

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Preparation

Place flour into a large bowl and gradually add milk and water, working the mixture with your hands. Add salt and sugar and keep kneading for 6 to 8 minutes until dough leaves the side of the bowl and is soft, smooth and elastic, like play dough. Set aside in a warm place for at least 2 hours or over night, covered with plastic wrap.

Simply pull off a bread roll-sized piece of dough, roll it and shape it into a ball in floured hands. Continue until you have 6 balls. Rub a little butter in the palms of your hands to melt it, then pick up each ball and rub it to seal it with butter. Replace on tray and let balls stand for 2 to 3 hours.

Tip a little oil onto a clean working surface and moisten your hands with it. Place a ball in the centre and flatten it with your hands, pressing and pushing constantly until it is a fine sheet, forming a rough rectangle about the size of a big plate.

Add a little oil and continue to flatten the dough, using an oiled rolling pin if you like. Don’t worry if it looks like a mess, it’s meant to. To get it really thin, pick up the flattened sheet and flop it back onto the bench 2 or 3 times. Repeat process with each ball. Now, fold each side in, to form a neater rectangle and then fold each corner in, to form an envelope shape.

Heat an oiled baking tray over a gas flame until hot, and fry each side until golden.

Remove quickly and crush roti in your hands, letting shreds fall onto serving plate. Serve hot. Each ball will make enough for 2 people.

If you enjoyed this Roti canai recipe then browse more Malaysian recipes, side dish recipes, breakfast recipes, child-friendly recipes, recipes for 1 or 2 recipes and our most popular hainanese chicken rice recipe.

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Comments (8)

07 Jan 2013 04:11 AEST

Sam

Leichhardt

How do I record your video on my disk

Agree(0 people agree)

Disagree(0 people disagree)

10 Mar 2012 11:29 AEST

Connie Lam

Auckland, New Zealand

Shame on Simon Goh

Simon Goh hasn't shared his real recipe with us, so shame on him. It needs much more liquid and definitely ghee added to the flour at the beginning.

Agree(2 people agree)

Disagree(0 people disagree)

03 Feb 2011 05:48 AEST

vittoriobravo

sydney

all very impressive but the secret is not revealed

I lived in Penang Malaysia, since I come back to Australia I been busting my head on trying to make it. Just observe all those impressive fly through the air twisting and turning like a belly dancer on heat. Think about it. Do you really think its plain Flour, Attar Flour, this flour that flour. There something there not telling us. This guy above like others are trained showman. Theirs something extra in the flour, I'm sick of asking all those ballerinas they all saying the same thing.

Agree(7 people agree)

Disagree(1 people disagree)

30 Jan 2011 07:02 AEST

Colin

Longueuil

Works with a twist

Heres what I used: 3 cups white flour 1 cup milk 1/2 cup cold water otherwise, I followed the given recipe and it turned out to be excellent rotis! Thanks! And the video was very informative, although I'm not yet able to handle the dough like that.

Agree(2 people agree)

Disagree(1 people disagree)

28 Jan 2011 08:30 AEST

Colin

Longueuil

Different type of flour?

What Kate said. With only 3/4 cup of liquid for 3 full cups of flour, the mix doenst turn smooth and elastic but dry and flaky. Maybe Im (we're) not using the same type of flour? Can't see anything else as far as only 2 ingredients are involved and liquids can't be "less liquid"! I've added half a cup more of milk and its now standing on my countertop. we'll see how it turns.

Agree(0 people agree)

Disagree(2 people disagree)

08 Jul 2010 12:35 AEST

Maria Almeida

Mawson Lakes

Happy with outcome

I tried this. Followed the recipe exactly and really happy with the outcome. I have previous attempted with other recipes and most of the time the rotis chanai ended up looking like chapatis! I was happy with this recipe, came out as close as possible to the real deal - Malaysian Roti Chanai. Loved and will make it again.

Agree(0 people agree)

Disagree(2 people disagree)

21 Jan 2010 04:40 AEST

Kate Casey

St Kilda

Not so good

Hi all, I used the exact quantities but my dough turned into a hard rock. Any ideas. It certainly isn't smooth and elastic. Do you just add more water and milk?

Agree(4 people agree)

Disagree(1 people disagree)

16 Dec 2008 06:25 AEST

Simon

Cammeray

Good roti

I've tried making Roti's numerous times from slightly differing receipies, and this has been the closest I've got to the real thing, others tend to turm out more like Naan. However I added some peanut oil into the pastry. Seeing it made in a real Makan definetly helps knowing how to make it, which is proving to be the final challenge. I think the secret is letting the pastry sit, then, with a little practice, flattening it as much as possible, the thinner it is, the flakier it will be. Awesome

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