A laminated flatbread flipped paper-thin, folded and griddled to a crisp-soft flake, served with dhal and curry, at its best flooded, banjir, at a roadside stall.

Roti canai arrived with Indian Muslim migrants and became Malaysia's breakfast handshake: dough rested in ghee, spun to translucence, folded and pressed on a flat iron griddle. Penang's most famous version is a stall with no signboard on Transfer Road, at its pans for around half a century, where regulars order the roti drowned in curry before 11:00 or go without. The flip is theatre, but the rest matters more: long rests, generous fat and a griddle at the right heat.

Where to eat Roti canai in Penang

1 editor pick for Roti canai in Penang, ranked by editorial score. All Penang signature dishes · Roti canai across every city.

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Make it at home

Serves Makes 6 pieces5 hrAdvanced

Ingredients

  • 500g plain flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 220ml water and 2 tablespoons condensed milk
  • 120g ghee or butter, softened, plus more for coating
  • Dhal or chicken curry to serve

Method

  1. Knead flour, salt, sugar, egg, condensed milk and water into a soft, smooth dough, about 10 minutes.
  2. Divide into 6 balls, coat each generously in ghee, and rest covered at room temperature at least 4 hours or overnight.
  3. On an oiled counter, flatten a ball and stretch it paper-thin from the centre outwards until you can see through it; tears are acceptable.
  4. Gather the sheet loosely into a rope, coil it into a snail, tuck the end under and rest 10 minutes.
  5. Flatten each coil to a palm-sized round and griddle in a little ghee over medium-high heat, 2 minutes a side, until blistered gold.
  6. Clap the hot roti between your hands to shatter the layers, and serve at once with dhal or curry.

Editor tip. The overnight ghee rest does the work the flip only shows off; short-rested dough fights back and never goes translucent.

Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy (ghee), Egg.