Cooking in
British Columbia
Thai · Southern Thailand
Roti Canai — Southern Thai Flatbread / โรตีกะหรี่
Roti (roti canai in Malay, simply 'roti' in Southern Thailand) is the leavened, layered flatbread served at Thai-Muslim breakfast stalls, primarily in Southern Thailand and at a growing number of Bangkok specialty restaurants. The dough is wheat flour, ghee, egg, and water — rested overnight, then the roti-maker stretches a golf-ball-sized piece into a paper-thin sheet through a skilled tossing and spinning technique, folds it into layers, and fries it on a flat iron griddle with ghee until golden and crispy-layered. The flaky, buttery layers are achieved through the ghee lamination created by the folding. It is served with gaeng kari (yellow curry) or sweetened condensed milk for breakfast.
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Cook
I
The Market List
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500 g
plain wheat flour
plus extra for dusting
Origin · King Arthur Baking, United StatesNot yet stocked in British Columbia
1
egg
lightly beaten
Your own market
250 ml
water
cold
Your own market
60 g
ghee
divided: some for the dough, the remainder for folding and frying
Origin · IndiaChoose your town to see who stocks it →
To serve
1 portion
gaeng kari (yellow curry)
warm, in a separate bowl
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
To serve (alternative)
60 ml
sweetened condensed milk
for the breakfast sweet version
Your own market
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II
The Method
1
Combine the flour, beaten egg, a pinch of salt, a tablespoon of ghee, and the cold water in a large bowl, mixing to a smooth, cohesive dough — the cold water slows gluten development at this stage, keeping the dough workable rather than tight and springy. Divide into eight equal portions, each roughly the size of a golf ball, coat each ball lightly in ghee, arrange on a tray, cover, and refrigerate overnight, so the long rest allows the gluten to relax completely and the ghee forms a skin that prevents the balls from drying out and crusting. The dough is ready when it feels noticeably slack and extensible — a finger pressed in meets almost no resistance.
2
Bring the dough to room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking, so the ghee in the dough softens and the gluten stays pliable rather than snapping back when stretched. Set a flat iron griddle over high heat until a drop of water evaporates immediately on contact. This is where the dish lives or dies: the griddle must be very hot so that the roti browns in under 60 seconds per side — a medium-heat griddle produces a pale, soft result with none of the defining crispness — and keep it at that heat throughout.
3
Lightly oil the work surface with ghee, then take one dough ball and begin stretching from the centre, pulling and rotating rapidly outward — not from the edges — so the sheet thins evenly rather than tearing at the thinner perimeter first. Work with speed, because a roti stretched quickly allows the aligned gluten to extend without tearing; stretched slowly, it tears. Continue until the dough forms a paper-thin, near-translucent sheet roughly 50–60 cm in diameter; any small holes are acceptable.
4
Brush the surface of the stretched sheet generously with ghee so that each fold stays distinct during cooking and the layers peel apart rather than fusing into a single dense slab. Fold into a square: bring the top third down, the bottom third up, then fold left and right to produce a neat, layered square parcel. The folded parcel should feel distinctly laminated, not compressed.
5
Add a small spoonful of ghee to the hot griddle and lay the folded roti on it, cooking until the underside is deep golden and the edges show visible crisping — under 60 seconds — so the layers set and crisp before the interior has time to toughen. Flip and cook the second side to the same colour. The finished roti is golden and rigid at the edges, the layers audibly crisp when pressed, while the interior remains soft; remove it immediately.
6
Transfer to a board and clap the roti firmly between both palms two or three times, so the impact shatters the set layers open and exposes the flaky interior structure that would otherwise stay compressed and unreadable on the plate. Serve at once alongside warm gaeng kari or, for the sweet breakfast version, with sweetened condensed milk.
From the canon — Yellow curry is the mildest and most Indian-influenced of the mainstream Thai curries — its warmth comes from turmeric, curry powder, and dried chillies rath… Gaeng Kari — Yellow Curry Technique / แกงกะหรี่ →
III
Quality Hierarchy
01
Reserve — Dough rested a full 24 hours; pure clarified ghee, rendered from cultured butter, used both in the fold and on the griddle; served immediately from a seasoned flat iron griddle at a specialist roti stall in Hat Yai or Pattani, with house-made gaeng kari.
02
Estate — Overnight rest of at least 8 hours; commercial ghee of good quality; a well-seasoned cast-iron flat griddle at high heat; quality tinned or restaurant-made yellow curry alongside.
03
Market — Overnight rest observed; standard commercial ghee; any heavy flat pan capable of retaining high heat; packaged gaeng kari or condensed milk as accompaniment.
04
House — Same-day dough, which will tear during stretching and produce a thicker, denser roti; butter or vegetable oil substituted for ghee, giving a softer crust and altered flavour; acceptable for a first attempt but a different dish.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Touch. Overnight-rested dough ball offers almost no resistance when pressed — it feels slack and extensible, ready to be stretched paper-thin without tearing.
◇Sound. A drop of water dropped onto the griddle evaporates with a sharp, immediate hiss — the surface is at the required high heat.
◇Sight. The stretched sheet is near-translucent, 50–60 cm across, thin enough that the work surface is visible through it.
◇Sight. The roti on the griddle has turned deep golden on the underside with visibly crisped, set edges within 60 seconds — ready to flip.
◇Touch. After clapping, the layers separate audibly and the roti feels rigid and shatteringly crisp at the edges, soft and layered within.
◇Where it lives or dies. The griddle must be very hot — roti should brown in under 60 seconds per side; a cooler griddle produces a pale, soft result that never achieves the defining crisp-layered character of the dish.
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VI
What to Pour
Strong, sweet Thai tea (cha yen) or black coffee with condensed milk, as served at the Muslim breakfast stalls where roti canai originates — the bitterness of the tea or coffee offsets the richness of the ghee and, where applicable, the sweetness of condensed milk. With the curry version, the same tea service remains the natural accompaniment; no wine context is appropriate to this dish.
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The working kitchen
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