Roti canai / roti prata
Roti telur, a type of roti canai with egg filling, served on a banana leaf
Alternative names
  • Roti cane
  • roti chanai
  • roti konde
  • roti maryam
  • roti prata
  • roti parotta
TypeFlatbread
CourseMain course, usually for breakfast
Region or stateSoutheast Asia
Associated cuisineBrunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]
Created bySouth Indian diaspora in Southeast Asia
Serving temperatureHot
Main ingredientsFlour
VariationsRoti tissue, murtabak
Breakfast culture in Malaysia: dining experience in a multi-ethnic society
UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage
CountryMalaysia
Reference02113
RegionAsia and the Pacific
Inscription history
Inscription2024 (19th session)
ListRepresentative

Roti canai (/tʃa'naj/), or roti prata (in Singapore), also known as roti chanai and roti cane, is an unleavened flatbread of Indian origin found in the cuisines of Southeast Asia, especially those of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia,[8] Singapore, and Thailand.[9] 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.

Etymology

Roti canai is attested as a kind of bread in Malay since at least 1970. Roti is borrowed from Hindi roṭī 'bread'. Canai probably comes from Malay canai 'to roll dough thinly'.[9] Less likely theories suggest that the name comes from the Indian city of Chennai or from Hindi chana 'chickpea, chickpea stew', which it often accompanies.[10][11][12]

In Singapore, the dish is known as roti prata, from the Indian paratha or parotta.[13][14]

History

Since being introduced around the 19th century, roti canai has become a popular breakfast and snack dish and is one of the most common South Indian foods in the region.[1][15] It is said that Indians brought the dish during the era of British Malaya. It is served in street mamak stalls located in both rural and urban areas.[16][17][18]

In Southeast Asia, roti canai can often be found in cities that have populations of Indian descent, especially in Malaysia and Singapore and in northern Sumatra in Indonesia.[19] It has also been theorized that the dish had been introduced much earlier by Indian traders, in the 17th century, in Aceh and North Sumatra, under the name roti cane.[20][21][19][22][23] In Indonesia, the dish is particularly found in Sumatra, where the Indian Indonesian community is concentrated.[23]

Description

Roti canai is a flatbread made from unleavened 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, 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, 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).[24]

Traditionally, roti canai is served with dal (lentil) curry. It may also be served with the following curries:

Brunei, Malaysia, and Singapore

Different varieties of roti canai served in Brunei and Malaysia are listed below:

Roti prata in Singapore and southern Malaysia is a fried flatbread that is cooked over a flat grilling pan. It is usually served with sugar or a vegetable- or meat-based curry and is also commonly cooked with cheese, onions, bananas, red beans, chocolate, mushrooms, or eggs.[25]

Roti prata is prepared by flipping the dough into a large thin layer before folding the outside edges inwards. The dough is cooked on a flat, round iron pan measuring about three feet in diameter. The cooking process lasts two to five minutes.[25]

Indonesia

Roti cane came to Indonesia via Muslim Indian migration to Aceh Sultanate, in the northern parts of Sumatra, around the 17th century,[20][21][19][22] and later to the rest of the Dutch East Indies, in the early 19th century.[23] 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.[23] 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.[26] Today in Indonesia, roti canai is often associated with Acehnese cuisine, despite its Indian origin.[27]

In Ampel, an Arab quarter in Surabaya, the dish is known as roti maryam,[28] while the Javanese call it roti konde, after its shape, which resembles 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).[23]

Thailand

In Thailand, roti (with variations on spelling such as ro tee) is commonly available from street carts, usually halal, sold by Thai Muslims. Roti thitchu (Thai for "tissue") is Thai roti canai that is fluffed up by clapping it between two hands inside a dry cloth after frying, served with a Thai Muslim-style beef curry.

In other parts of Thailand, roti is also commonly eaten with mango, banana, sugar, condensed milk, jam, peanut butter, or Nutella, although plain egg roti is also available.

See also

References

  1. "Roti Prata". Singapore Tourism Board.
  2. Yi Jun Loh (22 May 2019). "The Indian Roti That Became Malaysia's National Bread". Taste. New York: Penguin Random House LLC.
  3. Yip, Lynnett (29 February 2020). "What is roti canai, and why can't people in Southeast Asia get enough of it?". South China Morning Post. Hong Kong.
  4. "Roti Canai (Mamak Copycat)". NyonyaCooking. 23 July 2016.
  5. Krich, John (31 July 2009). "Roti Canai Kuala Lumpur takes a flatbread to new heights". The Wall Street Journal. New York: Dow Jones & Company.
  6. "Roti Maryam/Konde/Cane/Canai". Indonesia Eats. 27 February 2008.
  7. "Mencoba Roti Canai Asli Aceh di Tepi Jalan Pasar Minggu". Liputan6. 18 December 2016.
  8. "Sejarah roti canai dan asal usul". Roti Canai Aidill Ahmanir (in Malay). 26 May 2021.
  9. "roti canai, n." Oxford English Dictionary.
  10. "Why people in Southeast Asia can't get enough of roti canai". South China Morning Post. 29 February 2020.
  11. van Wijnen, Ben. "Roti Canai (Malay Recipe)". Malaysia Site. Archived from the original on 2 October 2023.
  12. Thiessen, Tamara (2008). Bradt Travel Guide – Borneo. Bradt Travel Guides. ISBN 978-1-84162-252-1.
  13. Koh, Aun. "Roti Prata – Words Without Borders". Words Without Borders.
  14. "Roti Prata". Singapore Tourism Board.
  15. Krich, John (31 July 2009). "Roti Canai". Wall Street Journal. New York: Dow Jones & Company. ISSN 0099-9660.
  16. "Singapore hawker dishes: Roti prata". travelfish.org. TravelFish.
  17. "Malaysia's 5 mamak stall favoritesaccess-date=16 April 2018".
  18. Staff writers. "The 10 types of roti you'll find at the mamak". Time Out Kuala Lumpur. Kuala Lumpur: Time Out International Limited.
  19. Novita, Cicik (25 February 2022). "Resep Roti Canai dan Cara Membuatnya yang Dapat Dicoba di Rumah". tirto.id (in Indonesian).
  20. "Mengenal Asal Usul Roti Canai Yang Populer Di Wilayah Asia Tenggara". Timurasa.com (in Indonesian). 21 November 2020.
  21. Rinaldi, M Yon (17 November 2020). "Martabak Faliel Hadirkan Menu Khas Melayu Berkultur India, Ada Roti Cane Berbagai Topping". Tribun Jambi (in Indonesian).
  22. Adriansyah, Taufiq Dali (30 July 2023). "Resep Membuat Roti Canai, Makanan Khas Aceh yang Paling Cocok Temani Sarapan Pagi". Harian Haluan (in Indonesian).
  23. Ni Luh Made Pertiwi F (2 April 2013). "Roti Cane dan Kari Kambing, Pasangan Sejati Nan Lezat". KOMPAS.com (in Indonesian).
  24. Krich, John (31 July 2009). "Roti Canai". The Wall Street Journal.
  25. "Inilah Cara Membuat Roti Prata Singapore Yang Mudah". Toko Mesin Maksindo (in Indonesian). 14 October 2017.
  26. Rahma, Imelda (13 June 2022). "Mengenal Asal Usul Pembuatan Roti Canai Beserta Resepnya". fimela.com (in Indonesian).
  27. "Roti Canai, Kue Paling Dicari Penyuka Kuliner Aceh". Merah Putih (in Indonesian). 18 June 2018.
  28. "Ramadan di Kampung Ampel, Roti Maryam Paling Diburu". Detiknews (in Indonesian). 18 July 2014.
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