Roti canai
Southeast Asian Indian-influenced flatbread dish
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Media: Roti canai/roti prata
Roti canai or roti prata, also known as roti chanai, and roti cane, is an Indian flatbread dish found in several countries in Southeast Asia, especially Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand.[8] It is usually served with dal or other types of curry but can also be cooked in a range of sweet or savoury variations made with different ingredients, such as meat, eggs, or cheese.
In Southeast Asia, roti canai can often be found in cities that have populations of Indian descent, such as in West Sumatra, North Sumatra, and Aceh in Indonesia, as well as in Malaysia and Singapore.[9] Introduced around the 19th century, roti canai has become a popular breakfast and snack dish and is one of the most common examples of South Indian cuisine in the region.[1][10] It is said that the dish was brought by Indians during the era of British Malaya, the Dutch East Indies, and the Straits Settlements. It is also colloquially known as "mamak", served in street mamak stalls located in both rural and urban areas.[11][12][13]
It has also been theorized that the dish had been introduced much earlier, in the 17th century in Aceh and North Sumatra, by Indian traders under the name roti cane.[14][15][9][16][17] In Indonesia, the dish is particularly found in Sumatra, where the Indian Indonesian community is more prominent compared to the rest of the country.[17]
Etymology
Roti means bread in Sanskrit and most other Indian languages.[18] There are different suggestions for the origin of canai: it has been claimed that the word refers to channa, a North Indian dish made with boiled chickpeas in a spicy gravy, with which this type of bread was traditionally served.[19] Meanwhile, the Oxford English Dictionary states that it may be from the Malay word canai, meaning "to roll (dough) thinly".[8]
In Singapore, the dish is known as roti prata, similar to the Indian paratha, or parotta.[20] The Hindi word paratha means "flat".[20][21]
Description
Roti canai is a flatbread made from dough that is composed of fat (usually ghee), flour, and water; some recipes also include sweetened condensed milk. The dough is repeatedly kneaded, flattened, oiled, and folded before proofing, creating layers. The dough ball is then flattened, spread out until paper-thin (usually by "tossing" it on a flat surface), and gathered into a long rope-like mass. This "rope" is then wound into a knot or spiral and flattened, so that it consists of thin flakes of dough when cooked.
When making varieties with fillings, however, the fillings (eggs, chopped onions, etc.) are spread or sprinkled on the thin sheet of dough, which is then folded with the fillings inside.
Regional variations
Plain roti is often referred to as roti kosong ("empty bread" in the Malay language).[22]
Traditionally, roti canai is served with dal (lentil) curry. It may also be served with the following curries:
- Kari ayam – chicken curry
- Kari daging – beef curry
- Kari kambing – mutton curry
- Kari ikan – fish curry (mostly served with ikan pari)
- Kari campur – mixed curry
- Kari kacang kuda – chickpea curry
Indonesia
Roti cane came to Indonesia via Muslim Indian migration to Aceh Sultanate, in the northern parts of Sumatra, around the 17th century,[14][15][9][16] and later to the rest of the Dutch East Indies, in the early 19th century;[17] it has since been adopted into the Malay, Acehnese, and Minangkabau cuisine of Sumatra. Consequently, there are Malay, Acehnese, and Minangkabau restaurants serving the dish with mutton curry that are operated by ethnic groups other than Indians.[17] Two types of popular roti cane dishes include sweet roti cane, served with various toppings such as cheese, chocolate sprinkles, and chocolate syrup; and savoury roti cane, served with curry sauce.[23] Today in Indonesia, roti canai is often associated with Acehnese cuisine, despite its Indian origin.[24]
In Ampel, an Arab quarter in Surabaya, the dish is known as roti maryam,[25] while the Javanese call it roti konde, after its shape resembling a hairbun (Javanese: konde). Despite having different names, each variant is derivative of the Indian paratha and is similar in preparation.[6] Indian-influenced roti is typically served with kari kambing (mutton curry).[17]
