🫓 Roti Canai
Roti canai is a flaky, layered flatbread from Malaysia: a dough enriched with ghee and egg is stretched paper-thin, folded and cooked on a hot griddle until crisp outside and soft inside. It is torn by hand and dipped into a lentil dhal curry. It is a favourite breakfast at mamak stalls.
Diets
Allergens
Contains (in a typical recipe):
What it is made of
Recipe
Ingredients
- 300 g plain flour
- 1 egg
- 40 g ghee, plus a little for stretching
- 150 ml water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 400 g dhal curry (lentils simmered with turmeric, onion and spices), to serve
Method
- Mix flour, salt, sugar, egg, 1 tbsp ghee and water; knead 10 minutes into a smooth soft dough.
- Divide into 4 balls, coat with ghee and rest covered at least 1 hour.
- On a greased surface, stretch each ball paper-thin, fold into a square and flatten gently.
- Cook on a hot griddle with a little ghee 2–3 minutes per side until golden.
- Scrunch to separate the layers and serve with warm dhal curry.
How to make it lighter
- Brush the griddle lightly instead of adding ghee to each roti.
- Eat one roti with a generous bowl of dhal — the lentils add protein and fill you up.
- 1 tbsp ghee ≈ 120 kcal — measure it rather than pouring.
History
Roti canai was brought to Malaya by Indian Muslim migrants and is closely related to the South Indian parotta. The origin of the name 'canai' is debated: it is often linked to the city of Chennai, or to the Malay word for kneading dough.
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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →