Roti Jala with Curry

Roti Jala, direct translation will be "Netty Bread", is one of the popular Malay dishes. Found a few names for this roti online, such as lacy crepe, fish net bread and spider pancake.

So, pick a name that you like. Roti Jala is often served with curry or sambal, obviously I had mine with chicken curry.

I tried to cook this crepe without the special mould before but the results were disappointed. This round, since I am in Malaysia and the mould is available at reasonable price, I bought one for myself (one for the special someone) and look at my crepe, beautifully netted!

Ingredients (+-12 pieces):

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 egg
• 1½ cups water
• ¼ cup coconut milk or fresh milk
• ½ tsp tumeric powder
• ½ tbsp cooking oil
• Salt to taste

Methods:

1. Bring all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl, mix until well blended.
2. Heat a non-stick pan. Fill the mould with batter and make circular motion over the pan to make crepe.
3. If the batter does not flow out smoothly, add a bit more water to make the batter thinner.

*** Chicken curry recipe updated on 5 November 2008. ***

Ingredients:

• 1 whole Chicken, chopped into serving size
• 2-3 Potatoes, peeled and quarted
• 1 cup Coconut Milk
• 3-4 cups Water
• 4-5 tbsp Curry Powder (I used Babas' brand, my favourite)
• 2 tbsp Chili Paste (I used sambal belacan)
• 2 stalks Lemongrass, crashed
• 3-4 bulbs Shallot, peeled and chopped
• 5 cloves Garlic, peeled and chopped
• 8-10 Curry Leaves (add more if you have plenty)
• 2-3 tbsp Cooking Oil
• Salt to taste

Directions:

1. Mix curry powder with 2-3 tablespoons of water to form a smooth paste.
2. Heat oil in a large pot, saute shallot, garlic, curry leaves, lemongrass and curry paste till fragrant.
3. Add in chicken, cook for 5 minutes to sear the chicken.
4. Add in water and bring to boil. Then add in potatoes and let it simmer for about 10 minutes on low heat with cover.
5. Season with salt. Add in coconut milk and bring to boil. Once boiled, remove from hit.
6. Garnish with chopped chili and fried shallots if desired.
7. Chili paste can be substituted with chili powder, the amount of chili is very much depends on individual's preference.