Roti canai: Malaysian flatbread
This famous Mamak dish is considered ‘sacred’ in Malaysia, because most people who know the recipe absolutely do not want to share it. Chef Norman Musa found the recipe somewhere after all, and perfected it by adding coconut water – this makes the dough even crispier and crunchier. Fun fact: served with a curry, it is his favorite hangover meal.
Norman: ‘You can use canned coconut water, but ordinary water works too. The ingredients aren’t expensive, but the technique is difficult at first. Once you’ve practiced a little, you’ll become just as much of an expert as the Mamaks in Malaysia, I guarantee it. A good flatbread should be crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside – which you achieve by ‘fluffing it up’ with both palms like a cushion as soon as it has been fried to a crispy brown.’
Preparation
- Put the flour and salt in a large bowl and mix well.
- Put the coconut water, egg, 2 tablespoons of oil and condensed milk in a medium-sized bowl or measuring jug, add 170 milliliters of water and stir well. Add this mixture to the bowl with the flour and knead for 10 minutes until a smooth and elastic dough forms.
- Cover the bowl with cling film and leave to rise for 30 minutes. Add a little flour to the dough, knead it again, and leave to rise for another 30 minutes. Then knead it once more and divide the dough into 10 small-fist-sized balls – divide the dough by ‘cutting’ it with your thumb and index finger. With this technique, you can also be sure there are no lumps in the dough, so that it can later be stretched into an extremely thin layer. Place the dough balls in a deep dish and pour 750 milliliters of oil over them until all the balls are covered. Leave to marinate for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
- Place one of the dough balls on an oiled work surface and use your hands to stretch and flatten the ball. Quickly turn the dough sheet over and stretch it a few more times so that it becomes thinner and larger. Fold the sides, top and bottom loosely inward to create a square shape, with air between the different layers.
- Heat a little oil in a flat frying pan and fry the dough on both sides until golden brown and crisp. Place the fried flatbread on a clean surface, then fluff it up from the outside in with your hands so that it wrinkles and air gets into it. Repeat with the remaining dough and serve with a curry sauce for dipping.
Title: Magisch Maleisisch
Author: Norman Musa
Price: €29,99
Publisher: Podium
Publication date: 4 June 2019
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