roti canai by hishamuddin

Roti canai (pronounced "chanai," not "kanai") is a type of flatbread found inMalaysia. It is nearly identical to Singaporean roti prata and a close descendant of Kerala perrota.

Roti means bread in Hindi, Urdu , most other North Indian languages, andMalay. The term "canai" derives either from:

i) "Chennai", a region in India which is formerly known as Madras. Roti canai is presumed to have been introduced by immigrant labour from the Madras region where a similar combination ofparatha and dalcha - the accompanying lentil curry - is served

ii) "channa", a mixture of boiled chickpeas in a spicy gravy from Northern India which it was traditionally served with.

In English, roti canai is sometimes referred to as "flying bread," a term that evokes the process of tossing and spinning by which it is made.

The dish is composed ofdough containing copious amounts of fat,egg , flour and water .The form of fat used is usuallyghee (clarified butter). The entire mixture is kneaded thoroughly, flattened, oiled and folded repeatedly. It is then allowed to proof and rise, and the process is repeated. The final round of preparation consists of flattening the dough ball, coating it with oil and then cooking on a flat iron skillet with a lot of oil. The ideal roti is flat, fluffy on the inside but crispy and flaky on the outside.

One of the characteristics of roti canai and its derivatives is that it can be eaten with the hands, without the need for utensils. This makes it a convenient dish to consume, while being filling. This characteristic makes it a dish of choice as breakfast or as late night supper.

Traditionally, it is served with dal or 'dhal' (lentil) curry, which in North India is prepared with chana dal. It can sometimes be taken with sugar or condensed milk. More recently, various improvements on plain roti have been devised to suit the more adventurous tastes of more affluent Malaysians. Generally the newer forms of roti are denoted by using a prefix of roti attached to the additional ingredient used. Variations include:

• roti telur, with fried eggs (telur being the Malay word for egg)
• roti tisu (tissue bread), a paper thin and flaky roti. Also called roomali roti, from roomal (Hindi, meaning handkerchief).
• roti bawang (onion bread)
• roti boom (bomb bread), a smaller but thicker roti
• roti planta, stuffed with margarine and sugar.
• roti sardin, stuffed with sardine and sometimes mixed with ketchup or sambal