We learned about Roti Jala on our recent trip to Malaysia, although we didn’t see it or eat it there. It’s a lacy crepe made with flour, egg and coconut milk. A cup with several holes in the bottom or side is used to pour the mixture into a pan. The roti is then folded in half twice.
Roti Jala is usually eaten with curry. We used it as a kind of tortilla with chicken teriyaki and salad fillings.
Here’s the first recipe that we’ve tried.
We have another with much more egg and less coconut milk, and I’ll post that soon after we try it.
Ingredients
2 cups fine plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
2 1/2 cup coconut milk
1 tsp turmeric powder
Beat the eggs until smooth. Mix sifted flour, salt and turmeric in a bowl. With an electric mixer, add the eggs gradually to the flour mixture on low speed. Then gradually add the coconut milk. The aim is to avoid too many lumps.
Strain the mixture. Test with the roti cup to see if the mixture flows smoothly. You may need to add a little water (using the mixer to held in through evenly).
Using a paper towel, wipe a hot pan with oil. You really need a good non-stick pan for this.
For the next part you’ll need your roti mix in one bowl, a smaller bowl, the roti cup and a small measuring cup (eg. 1/2 cup). Use the measuring cup to pour the roti mix into the roti cup, holding the roti cup above the small bowl so it doesn’t drip everywhere. Make circular movements in the pan with the roti cup and then put it back into the small bowl to catch the drips as you finish.
The roti only needs to be cooked on one side, and then in theory you can slide it out on the pan onto a plate. The main trick here is to have the pan at the right heat so that the roti doesn’t burn on the bottom before it is cooked through.
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