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