Roti Canai with Dhal – Malaysian/Indian

Step 1: Soak the Chana Dal

Place 1 cup of chana dal in a bowl and cover with water. Let it soak overnight to soften.

Step 2: Sauté Aromatics for Dhal

Heat 2 tablespoons of ghee in a pot over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons each of minced garlic, minced ginger, and finely chopped green chili. Sauté until the aromatics are softened and fragrant.

Step 3: Add Spices and Tomatoes

Stir in 1 tablespoon of garam masala. Add 1 diced medium tomato and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomato has completely broken down and forms a sauce-like consistency.

Step 4: Simmer the Dhal

Drain the soaked chana dal and add it to the pot. Pour in 2 cups of water and stir. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1.5 hours. Stir every so often to prevent sticking. If the dhal becomes too thick, add a little more water.

Step 5: Prepare Roti Dry Ingredients

In a large bowl, combine 2 cups of plain flour, 1 teaspoon of sugar, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Mix well.

Step 6: Incorporate Ghee into Flour

Add 2 tablespoons of ghee (or butter) to the dry ingredients. Use your fingertips to rub the ghee into the flour until the mixture resembles pebbly sand and the ghee is evenly distributed.

Step 7: Form the Roti Dough

Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Crack in 1 egg and pour in 1/2 cup of warm water. Start mixing with a fork, gradually incorporating the flour from the sides. Once a shaggy dough forms, switch to your hands.

Step 8: Knead the Roti Dough

Flour your workbench generously. Scoop out the dough and knead it for a proper 10 minutes until it becomes very smooth and elastic. Add more flour if the dough becomes too sticky.

Step 9: Rest the Roti Dough (First Rest)

Cover the kneaded dough with cling film and let it rest for 20 minutes.

Step 10: Divide and Shape Dough Balls

After the first rest, unwrap the dough. Roll it into a cylinder, then cut it into 6 even pieces. Roll each piece into a smooth ball. Drizzle each ball with a little ghee (about 2 tablespoons total for all balls) and rub it all over. Place the greased dough balls on a tray.

Step 11: Rest the Roti Dough (Overnight)

Cover the tray of dough balls with cling film and refrigerate overnight. About an hour before you plan to roll them out, take them out of the fridge to bring them to room temperature.

Step 12: Roll Out Roti Thinly

Take one dough ball. Using the palm of your hand, smush and stretch the dough out until it is wafer-thin, almost transparent, similar to filo pastry. You should be able to see through it.

Step 13: Fold and Coil the Roti

Once thin, roll the dough down from the top, then roll up from the bottom to meet in the middle, creating two rolled sections. Roll these two sections together into a single cylinder. Coil the cylinder into a spiral shape, tucking the bottom end into the center. Repeat for all remaining dough pieces.

Step 14: Rest Coiled Roti

Let the coiled dough pieces rest for 15 minutes.

Step 15: Prepare Spiced Temper for Dhal

While the roti rests, heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a small frying pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 teaspoon of mustard seeds and let them pop. Add 1/2 finely diced red onion and a pinch of salt, sautéing until softened. Stir in 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds, 3-4 whole dried red chilies, and 1 sprig of fresh curry leaves. Sauté until fragrant.

Step 16: Finish the Dhal

Pour the hot spiced temper over the simmered dhal. Fold it through to combine. The dhal should be lovely and creamy with broken-down lentils.

Step 17: Cook the Roti

Drizzle a little ghee on your workbench. Take a rested coiled dough piece and roll it in the ghee. Using the palm of your hand, smush the dough out into a circle about 20 cm in diameter. Heat a pan until smoking hot. Place the roti dough onto the hot pan and cook for a few minutes on each side until it is deep golden brown and slightly charred.

Step 18: Smash the Roti

Once cooked, immediately drop the hot roti onto a clean tea towel. Using your hands (protected by the tea towel), give it a 'smash' to break up the layers and make it flaky. Repeat for all remaining roti.

Step 19: Serve

Spoon the finished dhal into a serving bowl. Serve immediately with the warm, flaky Roti Canai for dipping.

• Start both the roti dough and the dhal soaking the day before for best results.

• For the dhal, if things look too thick during simmering, add a little more water.

• For the roti dough, sprinkle flour as needed if it gets sticky during kneading.

• Take the rested roti dough balls out of the fridge about an hour before rolling to bring them to room temperature.

• When cooking roti, use a smoking hot pan to get a lovely deep golden color and slight charring.

• The 'smash' test for good roti involves breaking it up to reveal all the flaky layers.

• If you can't use ghee, substitute with regular vegetable oil.

• Adjust the amount of green chili in the dhal to your preferred spice level.

• If fresh curry leaves are unavailable, dried ones can be used, or they can be omitted if necessary.