KUALA LUMPUR, May 7 — The humble roti canai has undergone a renaissance of sorts lately. There have been modern interpretations — both good and bad — and it has even come to the attention of international celebrities.
I’m talking about Taiwanese artiste Jay Chou and his favourite Liang Sandwich Bar in Skudai in Johor Baru and KLIA, where roti canai is presented as a novel pita/tortilla wrap. Local mamaks have been doing this for ages too and here are some of the better creations.
High Protein Roti Maggi
Okay, so the high protein part is my own customisation. It’s basically Maggi goreng with two chicken breasts from the tandoori oven wrapped inside a roti canai. Lots of places do it but one of the more famous ones is 868 Kedai Stall Roshida in Seri Kembangan.
I prefer the stall a few metres down, though. There’s no signboard and locals refer to it by a rude Cantonese phrase that I hesitate to repeat. Both mamaks are roadside affairs located in a residential area.
Roti Fujiyama
Fujiyama means “Fuji Mountain” in Japanese. I think the two huge scoops of vanilla ice cream on top of roti pisang is meant to evoke the same imagery as the ice-capped peaks of Fuji mountain in winter.
Visuals aside, it’s a really good taste combination. The banana goes extremely well with the ice cream. It’s our version of Baked Alaska — a dessert that plays with hot and cold temperatures.
Roti Canai Goreng
This is one of Macha & Co’s signature dishes and easily the best fried roti canai I’ve eaten to date. It tastes similar to the Kothu Roti (fried chopped roti) I had in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Some mamaks tend to make this dish taste like Maggi goreng, which is the wrong direction to go. Roti canai goreng should be its own thing.
This version is chopped roti canai with meat, vegetables and egg served with a side of fried onions and pickled vegetables to cut through the saltiness.
Roti Hawaii
This is my guilty pleasure from Murni Discovery. It’s minced meat, sausages and pineapple bits stuffed inside a roti topped with mayonnaise and served with a side of sardines and curry. So wrong ... yet so right! There’s something about indulging in processed meat that is oh-so satisfying.
Roti Durian Tissue Gula Melaka
This towering dessert takes 20 minutes to prepare so make sure to order it the same time as your main dishes. It’s roti tissue liberally sprinkled with sugar, palm sugar, coconut flakes and durian paste.
This is not for the faint of heart as you’ll need to tear into it with your fingers and the durian paste and gula Melaka are likely to end up on your face but it’s so worth it.
Getting there
1225 Mamak (the more popular 868 Kedai Stall Roshida is just around the corner)
1225, Jalan SK 11/6, Kampung Baru Seri Kembangan, Selangor
LRT/MRT: Sri Petaling
From the station: 5km (You need to use e-hailing services to complete the journey)
Operating hours: 3pm-late
Murni Discovery USJ 9 (Both Roti Fujiyama and Roti Hawaii are from here)
39-41, Jalan USJ 9/5P, Subang Jaya, Selangor
LRT/MRT: USJ 7
From the station: 600m
Operating hours: noon-2am (there are many Murni Discovery branches in Klang Valley; the opening hours differ from outlet to outlet)
Macha & Co (for Roti Canai Goreng and Roti Durian Tissue Gula Melaka)
31-1, Jalan PJU 5/16, Dataran Sunway, Petaling Jaya, Selangor
LRT/MRT: Surian
From the station: 400m
Operating hours: 8am-11.30pm (Sunday to Thursday); 8am-12.30pm (Friday and Saturday)
