Malaysian Restaurant Week: Bentara Restaurant

Chef Jeff Ghazali of Bentara Restaurant in New Haven, Connecticut will be here to show us how to make Roti Canai (check out the recipe after the jump).

Many of the unleavened breads that are a staple of Indian food show up in Malaysian kitchens. The most popular is roti canai, a simple bread made of flour, water, eggs, and ghee (caramelized clarified butter) that is repeatedly kneaded, folded, oiled, flattened, and tossed before it's cooked in a skillet. Making roti canai is an art in and of itself that results in delicious bread that's crispy on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside.

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Roti Canai
1 c. Water
2 tbsp. Sweetened Condensed Milk
3/4 tsp. Kosher Salt
2 1/2 c. High-Gluten Flour
1 oz. Ghee
1 tbsp. Vegetable Oil

Directions
Serves 8
Serve with Curry Lentil Sauce

Mix the water, condensed milk and salt in a bowl.

In a different bowl, mix the flour and ghee and make a well in the center.

Pour the liquid ingredients in the well and knead outwardly until all the ingredients are incorporated.

Knead for about 5 minutes more to form a soft dough.

Drizzle the oil on the dough and knead for a couple more minutes.

Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let it rest for about 1 hour at room temperature.

Divide the dough into 8 portions and mound each into a ball. Coat the dough balls with a bit of ghee so they won't stick to each other. Let rest for 2 hours.

On a large, lightly floured surface, roll each ball until paper thin and between 24 and 30 inches in diameter. (Malaysian cooks achieve this thinness with a special technique called "tebar," by which the dough is flattened and tossed in the air several times.)

Fold four sides of the dough into the middle to form a square.

Melt a little bit of the ghee in a preheated cast-iron skillet (or a large griddle) over medium heat. Cook the roti one at a time, turning once or twice, until golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. (If using a griddle you can put as many roti on the griddle as there is space for).

Put the cooked roti on a flat surface and give it a light whack with your hand, then turn it 90 degrees and give it another light whack (doing this separates the layers a bit and makes the roti fluffier).