photo by izumiflowers

I just had to cancel a trip to Malaysia.  While I can't say I am going to miss the unbelievably long plane ride, I will most definitely miss the street food.  Street food is built into the fabric of life in Singapore and Malaysia, so the choices and quality are astounding.  If America could convince all those folks parading through drive-throughs to get out of the car and eat at a trailer, I'm sure the results would be just as amazing.

There are simply too many varieties and tactics in Malaysia to narrow the focus on one dish, but noodles rarely disappoint.  There are plenty of Thai and Chinese influenced noodle bowls to mix with the local favorites.

This is a very simple recipe that finds its depth in two ingredients - the sausage and the noodles.  If at all possible I use fresh made egg noodles.  You can buy fresh pasta, but its remarkably easy to make and the little machine is great fun to use.

The sausage is trickier - choose wisely.  I am lucky enough to have access to some truly fantastic sausage from Whole Foods and some stunning smoked sausage from a few of the BBQ joints nearby.  Either works well, but the preparation changes based on the sausage content.

Hakka Noodles

Handful of bean sprouts

Handful of fresh egg noodles

1 pork sausage, casing removed and diced

1 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp fish sauce

1/4 cup chicken stock

Directions

1. Bring the stock to a boil and let simmer.Boil  water for the noodles. 
   


2. Blanch the bean sprouts, then add some salt. 


3. Prepare noodles.


4. Cook the pork, dicing as it cooks.


5. Add soy and fish sauces to the bean sprouts, put noodles on top and pork on top of the noodles.


6. Serve warm broth on the side.

photo by craigemorsels

The first time I had roti canai, I recognized its source.  Without knowing the name, I knew I had been served something very similar in southern India.  At the time, I didn't realize just how important this would be to some of the things I started cooking from India.

Turns out Roti Canai is closely related to Kerala Porotta, which like most Indian breads, has been impossible for me to get right.  Kerala Porotta is particularly frustrating, as I have many friends that tell me how they or their family members make great Kerala Porotta, and here I am banging away my miserable attempts.  The last step of making Kerala Porotta is clapping the bread together between your hands to break the bread up.  Try as I might, I either couldn't get the breaking right or wasn't making the dough right.  Either way, what I ended up with never matched my memory or expectations.

Making Roti Canai is different for a couple reasons - the dough is sweeter, and more importantly, easier to finish.  This recipe makes a bunch of breads - probably too many if you are having a small meal.  The dough keeps for a couple days in the fridge if you decide to make it all.

There is of course a more authentic way of flattening the dough than using a roller.  There are some great videos on YouTube that show the process in detail.  I've tried them, but to be honest, they make a bit of a mess.  Using a roller is not that difficult, so I just stick with that method.

This recipe helped me learn how to make Kerala Porotta, so eventually I will post that recipe too...

Roti Canai

3 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1 Tbsp sugar

1 cup warm water

1 egg

olive or vegetable oil (I use olive oil)

Directions

1. Mix the flour, salt and sugar in a bowl.

1. Beat the egg with the water and add to the flour mixture.

1. Knead the dough until it is smooth.


2. Oil your hands and divide the dough into balls.  This will leave the dough balls covered in oil.


3. Let the dough balls rest overnight or for a couple hours.


4. When ready to make the breads, oil a roller and roll each ball out until it is very thin, about 1/8". 


5. Cook the breads on a hot flat iron skillet until light brown.


6. Take each bread as it comes off the skillet and crunch it together in your hands, which will lighten the bread.