Roti Jala is a favourite snack in our home. Also known as roti kirai, my mother often cooked this for me during festive seasons of Christmas and Easter when I lived in Singapore.
Naturally colored with turmeric, roti jala is a much loved dish in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. You eat it by dunking the net crepes in a curry. Did I mention how delicious it is for teatime snack?
Translated in English, roti jala, is the local Malay language which translated means bread net. And you can see its resembles in the way we wrap it.
In Singapore when I visit my friends or neighbor’s for the celebration of Ramadan (fasting month), Eid/Hari Raya, it is served with a meat curry.
In my home, we regularly have our roti jala with rendang minang which I will share the recipe in my next video.
When the batter for roti jala is cooked on a hot non-stick plate, it appears like a string or net. Once folded and soaked in a curry, it is deliciously yummy.
Roti Jala Recipe : History and Origins
Searching the internet, I find roti jala’s origins resembling to string hoppers, a popular dish in South India and Sri Lanka which we call putu mayam in Singapore. My mum’s loves this local treat which is eaten with coconut and sugar, made by our Indian community in Singapore. As you can clearly see there is a possibility for roti jala, to have its origins influence from India.
Five Tip Plastic Funnel
You can easily purchase these moulds in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. I use my mum’s mould but recently bought another for my children from ebay. I’ve seen articles that show you how you can make your own plastic funnel using a milk bottle where you can pierce holes to help you make these roti jala.
Folding and Rolling these Net Crepes (Roti Jala)
A delicate net like pattern which when rolled gives it a firm structure. There are two ways of doing this.
The first is to fold it into a semi-circle, then into a quarter as seen in the photo on the right.
The other way is to fold the left and right side to meet in the middle, then roll it into a cylinder as you can see in the photo below.
It is easy to make, all it takes is a little practice with the folding and when you find your groove, you will become an expert in no time. Trust me, when you eat it you won’t want to stop and I see as becoming a regular meal for my family to make in our home.
The Ingredients
115g plain flour, sifted
pinch of turmeric
2 eggs
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon oil
Mix all the ingredients together
Add 225ml milk or coconut milk
Preparation
- 1 Heat a non-stick frying pan
- Use a Roti Jala mould (5 tip plastic funnel) to pour the batter into a non-stick pan, in a circular motion, then crisscross to join the circle.
- Cook for 3 or 4 minutes.
- Transfer it onto a plate.
- Fold the left and right sides, then from the middle roll to the end.
- You have your perfect roti jala, serve it with any curry.
Please do let me know in the comments below if you try this recipe. Until my next culinary video, enjoy this meal with your family and friends.
