Method
- Mix flour, salt, egg, ghee and condensed milk in a bowl. Add warm water gradually, kneading by hand for 8 minutes until the dough is very soft, slightly sticky and elastic. Roti canai dough is wetter than bread dough.
- Divide into 6 equal balls. Coat each thoroughly in ghee or neutral oil — submerge them in oil if possible. Cover and rest at least 4 hours, ideally overnight. The long oily rest is what allows the gluten to relax enough for the dramatic stretching.
- Set up the working space: a smooth surface generously oiled (a glass table or steel sheet ideal), a hot griddle or wide pan, ghee for cooking.
- Take one rested ball. Press flat on the oiled surface, then begin to slap and stretch — slap one edge against the surface and pull outward, rotating, until the dough is paper-thin and translucent across a 60cm diameter. Holes are fine; the gluten holds.
- Quickly fold: bring the four edges in toward the centre to form a square pillow. Then fold once more to a smaller square. Place seam-side down.
- Heat the griddle to medium-high with 1 tbsp ghee. Cook the folded roti 90 seconds per side, pressing with a spatula. The layers will puff and the surface turn deep golden. Smack the cooked roti between your hands to crackle the layers — this is the roti canai theatre. Serve hot with dhal, curry and sambal.
Common questions
Can Roti Canai be made ahead?
Roti Canai is best made and eaten the same day, but the components can be prepped earlier — chop and measure the ingredients up to a day ahead, refrigerated separately. Final cooking takes about 25 minutes.
Is Roti Canai spicy?
Roti Canai as written is mild to mildly warming — the heat comes from aromatics rather than chili. Add fresh sliced chili or chili oil at the end if you'd like to push it spicier.
Is Roti Canai vegetarian or gluten-free?
This recipe is suitable for most diets. If you have specific restrictions, the substitutions section in each ingredient note covers the most common swaps.
How hard is Roti Canai to make at home?
Roti Canai is more demanding — total time around 385 minutes plus marinating/resting where noted. Specific technique (knife work, wok hei, fermentation) makes the difference between a passable result and the real thing.
Can Roti Canai be scaled up or down?
This recipe is written for 6 servings. To scale, multiply each ingredient proportionally; the cooking times stay the same up to about double the volume. Beyond that, expect to cook in batches because of pan size and heat distribution.
Cultural Note
Roti canai is the Malaysian-Indian-Muslim signature dish, descended from Chennai's parotta — Tamil Indian Muslim labourers brought the technique to Malaysia in the late 1800s. The mamak (Indian-Muslim) restaurants are open all night and roti canai is the breakfast, late-night snack, and any-hour comfort food. The flipping technique requires years to master; mamak chefs perform it with a one-armed showmanship that makes the cooking part of the meal. 'Pulled' refers not to the eating but to the dough technique.
