• Prep Time 30 minutes
  • Cook Time 20 minutes
  • Serving For 4 people
  • Difficulty Hard, Normal
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Recipe Description

Roti Canai is an all-time Malaysian favourite that is best eaten piping hot with any of your favourite curry.

Click here for curry recipes.

Recipe and photo courtesy of Chef Bhuvaneswaran Surendran

Recipe Ingredient

  • 500g plain flour
  • 1tsp salt
  • 1tsp sugar
  • 1 cup water
  • 2tbsp condensed milk
  • 2tbsp margarine / ghee (at room temperature)
  • 1/2 egg (lightly whisked)
  • extra margarine
  • extra vegetable oil

Instructions

  1. Combine flour, salt and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Make a well at the centre of the dry ingredients and add the water, condensed milk, margarine and egg. Work in a circular motion with your hand, gradually gathering more and more of the flour into the wet ingredients until you more or less have a single mass.
  2. Tip all the ingredients onto the kitchen table and knead until smooth and elastic. Roll into a cylinder and divide the dough into ten pieces.
  3. Knead each piece a few times to achieve a smooth texture, then shape into a ball. Gently cover each ball with margarine and rest in a bowl alongside but not on top of one another. Plastic wrap and allow to rest at room temperature, overnight.
  4. After resting the dough overnight, you will find the dough soft and stretchy.
  5. Start by oiling a substantial area of the table liberally. Place one dough ball onto the table and press down with the palm of your hand while moving it in a circular motion. This is just to flatten and smoothen out the surface of the dough as much as possible before you stretch it. It takes a bit of practice to throw the roti the professional way. While it’s definitely quicker, an equally effective method is to work around the edges of the circle of the dough by gently stretching the edges outwards as far and as thinly as you can (so it is like tracing paper and about 60 to 70 centimetres in diameter), and before holes start to appear.
  6. Fold one-third of the way in on either side of the circle, so you have three layers of roti on top of each other, then fold this elongated shape into thirds again, so you end up with a squarish-shaped roti.
  7. Heat up your fry pan on high heat with a dash of vegetable oil and pan-fry the roti until golden blisters appear on both sides. When cooked, immediately slide the roti onto a chopping board, wrap you palms around the edges and smash your hands together so the roti bunches up and flakes. Rotate the roti and do this several times while it is still hot.
  8. Now it is ready to be served piping hot with your favourite curry.

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8 thoughts on “Roti Canai”

  1. Lilly - July 6, 2015 at 10:09 am

    Recipe for Curry, that goes with Roti ?
    Thanks.

    Reply
  2. Kuali Admin - July 6, 2015 at 3:03 pm

    Hi Lily,

    Any curry will go with roti canai. It all depends on what you like to eat it with. For curry recipes, go to http://www.kuali.com/recipes/

    Thanks.

    The Kuali team.

    Reply
  3. Bilaal Jaunmohamud - November 18, 2015 at 3:40 pm

    Hi Kuali Admin,

    I live in Mauritius and a big fan of Malaysian food. I have tried the famous roti canai and have been able to make the dough quite elastic but the main issue I have is that once I start to stretch the dough and throw the dough it tends to break and create holes in the middle. Can you help me on how I can prevent this from happening ?

    Thanks,

    Bilaal

    Reply
  4. Kuali Admin - November 20, 2015 at 10:15 am

    Hi Bilaal,

    Thanks for writing in. Good to know that you are a big fan of Malaysian food. We have not been able to get in touch with someone who can help fix your problem. However, we found a site that could help solve your dilemma. Please click here: http://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/43706/how-do-i-make-my-roti-dough-stretch-thinner

    Thanks.
    The Kuali Team.

    Reply
  5. Bilaal Jaunmohamud - November 20, 2015 at 3:47 pm

    Dear Admin,

    Thank you for getting back to me on this. I will surely check everything again and hope I can nail it this time around 🙂

    Have a lovely weekend.

    Regards,

    Bilaal

    Reply
  6. Christle - February 5, 2018 at 11:32 am

    How about roti planta and Roti tissue? Any recipes?

    Reply
  7. Cheng - April 15, 2020 at 3:37 pm

    Hi Bilaal

    May I know why is my roti canai doesn’t turn out soft and fluffy?
    Instead it is hard just like over-night roti canai.

    Appreciate your guidance.

    Best regards

    Cheng

    Reply
    • Avatar photo
      Kuali Cares - July 3, 2020 at 8:59 am

      Hi Cheng, we commend your efforts at the quintessential roti canai! There are a few factors that causes a hard roti: a) using the right flour is necessary as protein content is different for different varieties of flour, higher protein content flour may cause the roti to be hard; b) letting the gluten in the dough rest enough would also promote better ‘stretchability;c) flexing your muscles: kneading the roti canai dough enough is crucial to create that lovely flakiness too and practise makes perfect! So do continue your quest and Happy Cooking!

      Reply

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