when makcik masak roti jala - scenes from the butterfly kitchen
The longest queue in our school is on Wednesday at the Malay foodstall. Why? Wednesday is roti jala day!
Roti jala is basically nothing else than a pancake, but instead of milk we use coconut cream, which gives it - beside the coconutti flavour - a more gluey texture, and instead of just forming a simple pancake, the roti jala comes in the shape of a net. The net is created by dispensing the dough from the utensil on the picture above right into the hot pan and drawing first some circles and then some criss-cross lines to connect everything.
Yes yes, the plastic udders look a bit scary, especially when an angmoh butterfly makcik is threatening you with it :)
So, you take flour, an egg, some turmeric that gives the yellow colour, and the coconut creme, blend it until no clumps are left, and then you fill it in that tube. Heat a pan, and draw your net like in the pics below. When the pancake net is half done, fold it in the pan to half, and then to quarter to create the typical quarter circle in which it is often served. Higher skills makciks manage to take out the roti jala unfolded, and wrap the chicken curry (then not too saucy) in it like in the shape of a little spring roll - haven't gone there yet :)
Parallel, you can make your own curry. Traditionally chicken curry with the entire wing in it, add potato, and that's it. I boil the chicken legs or wings first together with cut potato (pic 1&2), then i fry onion and chilli, add the boiled chicken parts, add more spices, add curry powder and ad libidum tomato, fill up with the chicken stock and add santan (coconut cream).
btw, healthier version: vegetable curry, and in both, curry and pancake, replace the coconut cream with blended coconut flesh with some coconut water.