Simple roti is an immensely popular bread all around Asia.
There are many variations. They can be sweet or savoury. You can eat them for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Being unleavened makes it extremely easy to make as there is no need to wait for it to puff up. In the first part of the video, I demonstrate how to make the roti, in the second part I will show you how to make a delicious Malaysian chicken curry to go along with the roti.
The roti can be filled with various fillings like herbs, vegetables and spices. I kept them plain with just egg for this recipe as I served them alongside the curry which is extremely flavourful and does not require any more spices. In fact it is quite nice to eat such a curry with a simple plain roti on the side.
If you are going to make the roti as well as the curry, then make the dough, place it in the fridge to rest and whilst it is resting make the curry. When the curry is ready finish the roti and have yourself a nice meal ?
Watch the video down below for detailed instructions.
Ingredients
Roti:
150g (3.5oz) strong white bread flour
3g (0.1oz) salt
3g (0.1oz) sugar
1 whole egg, approximately 50g (1.75oz)
45g (1.6oz) milk *you want a total weight of 95g (3.35oz) between the milk and egg. First weigh the egg and then add enough milk to make up the difference.
4 whole eggs for frying
Salt & pepper to season
Oil
Curry:
For the curry powder –
5g (0.2oz) ground turmeric
1g (0.03oz) ground cloves
2g (0.07oz) ground black pepper
5g (0.2oz) ground cumin
10g (0.4oz) ground coriander
5g (0.2oz) cinnamon
2g (0.07oz) ground star anise
Chilli powder to your taste *Mix all these ingredients to make the curry powder. Set aside.
For the curry paste –
160g (5.6oz) peeled & diced shallots
40g (1.4oz) peeled garlic
40g (1.4oz) peeled ginger
100g (3.5oz) cashew nuts
20g (0.7oz) soy sauce
20g (0.7oz) oil
2 teaspoons of the curry powder from above *Blend all these ingredients in a food processor to make the curry paste.
For the chicken –
600g (1.3lb) chicken drumsticks
20g (0.7oz) soy sauce
The rest of the curry powder *Mix well to marinade the chicken. This can be done a day ahead of time for more flavour, but a quick marinade works perfectly well too.
To cook the curry –
20g (0.7oz) oil
2 lime leaves, sliced
2 small branches worth of curry leaves, picked
3g (0.1oz) salt
400g (14oz) diced, peeled potatoes
150g (5.3oz) coconut milk to finish
Coriander leaves to serve
Method
To make the roti:
- In a bowl combine the egg, milk, salt, sugar and mix well. Add the flour and mix to a dough.
- Knead for 5 minutes.
- Divide in 4 equal pieces and shape into balls. Place on a greased plate. Brush with oil all over, cover with cling film and place in the fridge to rest for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours. *Now is the time to make the curry if you decide to do so.
- Using oil stretch the dough out on your table until it becomes translucent.
- Lay the dough in your pre heated (medium – high heat) pan and pour over one of the eggs. Season with salt & pepper. Fold it up into a parcel. Flip every 30 seconds. Cook until golden brown all over.
Enjoy whilst fresh!
To make the curry:
- In a pan heat up the oil and cook the curry paste on medium heat for around 5 minutes or until thickened and nicely fragrant. Stir it with a metal spoon because it might tend to stick to the pan.
- Add the lime leaves, curry leaves, salt, potatoes, and chicken drumsticks.
- Add enough water to almost cover the chicken. Bring up to a simmer.
- Cook for around 1 hour or until the chicken comes off the bone with no effort. Stir the curry occasionally with a metal spoon as it may start sticking to the bottom of the pan a little bit.
- Add the coconut milk and adjust the seasoning if need be. Serve the curry garnished with fresh coriander leaves.
Watch the video here