Vegan Roti Canai & Dhal Curry

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It may come as a surprise, but most roti canai outside isn’t vegan. It always contains some sort of butter or condensed milk. I’ve veganised it here and tried to replicate the flavour exactly as I remember it to! Instead of butter or margarine, I used refined coconut oil. This gives the roti a very creamy, fatty flavour.

Roti canai always looks a bit daunting to make, but it’s actually super easy! The tricky part is stretching out the dough. It just takes a little bit of practice, but once you get the hang of it you won’t be tapau-ing roti canai outside anymore! Nothing beats eating fresh roti canai, still crispy from the pan.

Have fun making this!

Love,
Elliz

Vegan Roti Canai & Dhal Curry

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Yield: 10

Author: Elliz Azhar

Prep time: 30 MinCook time: 35 MinInactive time: 2 H & 45 MTotal time: 3 H & 49 M

Ingredients

Dhal Curry

• 100g yellow split peas
• 100g red lentils
• 1 large potato, cubed
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 eggplant, chopped
• 1 inch ginger, sliced
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp chili powder (optional)
• 1 litre of water
• Salt to taste
• 2 tbsp or more, cooking oil
• 2 red onions, sliced
• 4 cloves of garlic, sliced
• 1 red chili, sliced
• 2 dried chilies, roughly cut
• 4 stems curry leaves
• 1 tbsp halba campur or mixed fenugreek seeds
• Handful of chopped coriander leaves

Roti Canai

• 500g all purpose flour
• 10g salt
• 18g sugar
• 75ml refined coconut oil
• 75ml oatmilk or any other plant based milk
• 200g water

Vegan "egg" filling

• 50g silken tofu
• Pinch of white pepper
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 2 tsp nutritional yeast
• Pinch of turmeric powder
• Kala namak (Himalayan black salt) to taste

Instructions

Cook the Lentils

1. Sort through the lentils and pick out any dirt or rocks.
2. Then rinse the lentils thoroughly and drain. Add into the bowl of a pressure cooker.
3. Place the cubed potatoes, carrots, eggplant and ginger slices in the bowl along with 1 litre of water.
4. Sprinkle in the turmeric powder and chili powder. Season with salt.
5. Give the lentils a stir and close the lid.
6. Pressure cook for 20 minutes until the lentils have fallen apart and are soft.

Temper

1. Heat a saucepan on medium, then pour in some oil.
2. Sauté the onions, garlic, red chili, dried chilies, curry leaves and mixed fenugreek spices.
3. Cook until the ingredients are aromatic, and the onions are caramelised.
4. Once the lentils are cooked, spoon the spices directly into the lentils and stir well.
5. Lastly, add in some chopped coriander.
6. Taste the dhal curry and adjust the seasonings according to your preference.

Roti Canai

1. Place flour, salt and sugar in a large bowl.
2. With a spatula, mix the ingredients through and make a well in the centre.
3. Pour in the oatmilk, refined coconut oil and water.
4. Mix the ingredients with a spatula or spoon until you get a shaggy dough. Then use your hands to clump the mix together until it comes together into a large lump.
5. Transfer to a clean surface or counter.
6. Knead for 8 - 10 minutes until you get a very smooth ball. If the dough is a bit sticky in the beginning, it's okay, it will pick up any loose bits as you continue kneading.
7. If the dough is very sticky, dust with the tiniest bit of flour.
8. Oil the bowl and place the dough inside. Cover and let it rest for 45 minutes.
9. Once the dough has rested, cut it in half using a dough scraper. Then portion out 10 balls, around 80 grams each.
10. Coat each ball with a generous amount of oil and return to the bowl. Cover and let it rest for a further 2 hours, or overnight in the fridge.
11. After 2 hours, pour oil over the kitchen counter.
12. Take one ball of dough and using your palm, flatten and push out all around to form a flat disc.
13. Then peel one edge of the dough with one hand, and place your other hand on top at the opposite side.
14. Lift the dough from the counter and with a twisting motion throw the dough up and out to catch the air and stretch the dough out really thin.
15. Do this a few times until your dough is evenly stretched.
16. Then lay it flat on the counter, and stretch it even further. You should be able to see through the dough, that's how thin it should be.
17. It's okay if the dough tears a bit.
18. Pour about 2 tablespoons of oil in the centre of the dough and spread it around gently with your fingers.
19. Then fold the edges down to the centre to create a rectangle. And then the other side to create a square.
20. Refer to this video for a better visual of how this is done: https://youtu.be/HEA0hrqCgdo
21. Heat a cast iron pan on medium high. Once heated, add some oil and spread it around.
22. Place the roti canai square onto the pan and lower the heat to medium low.
23. Cook the roti canai for about 3 - 4 minutes until it's golden. Keep the heat at low to medium low as you want all the layers to cook properly.
24. Once it's cooked, lift with a metal spatula and oil the pan again. Then flip to cook the other side.
25. Immediately after taking it off the heat, place the roti canai on a heat proof chopping board. And then quickly clap the roti canai between your hands to flake and release all the layers. Be careful doing this as the roti canai will be hot.
26. Serve immediately with dhal, fish curry and sambal.
27. To make a roti telur version, mix silken tofu, white pepper, cornstarch, turmeric, and nutritional yeast in a small bowl. The texture will be similar to soft scrambled eggs.
28. Stretch out a ball of dough like you did previously and place the tofu mixture in the centre. Then fold into a square and cook as before.
29. After taking it off from the heat, sprinkle with kala namak salt for that eggy taste.
30. Do not clap the roti canai as the filling will be very hot. Cut it into squares to serve.

Notes:

• To cook the dhal in a regular pot, soak the lentils overnight. Then place all the ingredients into the pot and boil for 45 minutes to an hour.
• If leaving the roti canai dough to relax overnight, make sure to warm it at room temperature for at least 1 hour before handling.

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