Just One Food - Kawan Roti Paratha

Roti Paratha (or more commonly known as roti prata in Singapore and roti canai in Malaysia) is an Indian-influenced flatbread that's a well-loved hawker food and popular breakfast dish here in Malaysia.

I won't even call it a breakfast dish (though that's when it is eaten most often) as people from all walks of life eat it the whole day round...for breakfast, lunch, tea, dinner and supper!   I think its popularity stems from the fact that it's a very affordable meal.  For between RM1 - RM1.50, you can have a roti kosong (as in plain) or roti telur (with egg) for RM2 - RM2.50.  I've seen families of six or more dining out for lunch or dinner on just these.  What can I say, it's one of the most affordable meals around when cost is a factor...more so now in times of despair for destitute families! 

This round, circular disc of sumptuousness is one of the things I miss eating during this pandemic.  Before the pandemic struck, it has been my once-a-week (if I'm naughty) or once in two weeks (preferably) indulgence for breakfast.  It's obvious that one has to resist the temptation of eating this too often for health reasons. But the other reason (brought on by the pandemic) is that I have to be cautious of eating these in mamak restaurants knowing that the majority of them are foreign workers (from India) who (most probably) stay in cramped and undesirable living conditions coz many of these employers exploit their workers to keep their costs low.  So, pardon my precaution lah (I even know of a neighbour who forbids her husband to go to any mamak restaurant during the pandemic...lol).

So, I was pleasantly surprised when my husband brought home a packet of Kawan Roti Paratha that his sister gave him.  Hmmm, what is this frozen paratha?  I've never had them before but I've seen them selling in supermarkets (along with some other brands).  I thought why would I want to buy frozen roti canai when I have access to fresh ones.  Well, that was before the pandemic....these are desperate times...which calls for desperate measures....lol.  So, frozen roti canai will have to do...for now.

This is Kawan's (Plain) Roti Paratha (RM4.99) in green packaging.  One pack has 5 frozen pieces packed individually between two sheets of plastic.

There are instructions on the packaging that you can follow but I didn't.  Anyway, how difficult can it be?  So I sprayed a little oil on my non-stick pan, peeled off the plastic and put the frozen disc in.  You can skip the oil part, of course, as the roti itself would have been oiled.

Now, the instructions (on the packaging) are a bit vague but I think I was supposed to cook the roti for 1 1/2 minutes on each side....but I ended up needing 6 - 8 minutes....8 minutes on medium-low heat (90°C - 120°C) for the first piece (and a little less time for subsequent pieces once the pan was sufficiently heated up).  Wait for a good 2 minutes for the roti to firm up before flipping for the first time.

  

Visually, you'll know when it's done when the roti puffs up and browns nicely.  You may need to press down on the roti so that the dough makes contact with the heat of the pan in order for it to have a more even browning.

One instruction that is key (and must be followed) is to not thaw the roti as it'll turn soft and sticky.  In fact, I would suggest you take out just one piece at a time from the freezer to cook.  This is because the roti defrosts very quickly once out of the freezer....even before your first piece of roti is cooked.  Once they become sticky-soft, it's much harder to peel them off the two sheets of plastic.

I was skeptical at first to think that the roti can be successfully cooked from frozen state but it was amazing to see just how fast that could be achieved.  I remember being equally surprised when I watched something similar being cooked this way (the Taiwanese scallion pancake from Liang Sandwich Bar).  Same concept! ;)

Once it's done, you need to fluff it up (you can do it by using your spatula and a pair of tongs or chopsticks). But I decided to do it like how the roti canai man does it....by clapping it together with both hands while it's still hot (for that authentic feeling....kekeke).  I did feel that there was a difference in texture when I ate it without fluffing the roti....it was, well....not as fluffy. :P

The frozen roti paratha turned out a lot better than I expected.  It was light, airy and crispy.  Taste wise, I would have liked if the roti was a bit more seasoned but otherwise it was good.

The light and airy texture of the roti means you can probably eat more than one unlike the more doughy and greasy roti canai at most mamak stalls/restaurants where one is more than sufficient (at least for me).

Buoyed by the better than expected taste of this frozen roti canai, I decided to pick up two other variations when I was at the supermarket recently.  First up was the Onion Paratha (RM5.59) differentiated by their red packaging.

When I bought this, I didn't know if the onion meant big onions (like what they put into roti telur) or scallions (spring onions).  When I opened the package, turned out it was spring onions (much like Liang's scallions sandwich).

Did it taste any different from the plain paratha?  Not really....as the spring onions taste was practically non-existent.  So, no need to pay extra for the onion version in my opinion lah....hehe.

Because of the more doughy nature of a roti canai, I've always had a preference for a roti telur than a roti kosong.  So, why not add an egg to this frozen roti, I thought.  Of course, unlike a roti telur where the egg is encased between the dough, this is not possible with the frozen roti.  So, I beat up an egg (season the egg please!) and poured it into my pan before putting a fluffed up roti on top (before the egg sets).  Let the egg cook through and flip it a few times to ensure the egg is nicely browned.

Note that it's important for the roti to be sufficiently browned and fluffed up before adding it to the egg. That's because I made it once by putting the roti on top of the egg (without cooking the roti long enough and fluffing it first) and ended up with a denser texture....not so enjoyable.  I then re-read my Liang Sandwich Bar post and realised I went about cooking it the wrong way.

Taking a leaf from how Liang's scallion sandwich with egg is made (except minus the sauce), I followed suit. Maybe it was in my head but I thought the version with egg still rendered the roti slightly less fluffy coz it lost some of that crispiness compared to the plain ones.

When I was eating it, I couldn't help but wished I had some dhal or curry to go with it as it can get a bit dry. So, next time if you have some leftover curry (that you bought unless you're the Curry Queen who can cook her own delicious curries)...don't throw it away as you might want to eat it with a Kawan...hehe! ;)

The other variation was the Flakey Paratha (RM5.59) differentiated by blue packaging.  The frozen discs looked similar to the plain paratha.

But I noticed the difference when frying the roti as it puffed up more than the plain paratha.  Let me show you a side view of the roti.  When I fluffed the roti between my hands, it felt like it had thinner and more layers.

Let me tear out a piece of the roti to show you how thin the layers are.  The texture of this one was definitely flakier and crispier too.  You might want to think twice before buying/cooking them for your kids as the super crispy texture will mean messier eating with the crisp bits flying everywhere! ;P

Did I enjoy the flakier and crispier texture?  Not necessarily so.  It's not how I like my roti canai to be...I do like it crispy but not overly crispy.  So, it really depends on what texture you like your roti to be.

The key to how enjoyable your roti paratha is hinges on how well it's cooked.  I would suggest you try to do it like how you see Liang Sandwich Bar workers do it....and that's by pressing gently down on the roti and flipping it constantly (perhaps not as constantly as how Liang does it).  This will allow the roti the opportunity to puff up nicely and brown as evenly as possible leading to a fluffy, airy roti.

In fact, this Kawan Roti Paratha has an uncanny similarity to Liang Sandwich which a reader of mine alluded me in my Liang Sandwich Bar post some 3 years ago.  I didn't get any to try then as I duly forgot about the comment, so this Kawan roti has been around for quite a while.  Now you don't have to pay more for a Liang Sandwich when you can have an exact cheaper option of Kawan Roti Paratha....hehehe!

My husband's friend has been telling him for some time how good this Kawan Roti Paratha is....but only the plain one (and I have to agree).  After trying all 3 variations of Kawan's Roti Paratha (not sure if there are more variations than these three)...and a version with egg, I enjoyed the plain paratha the most.  But if you want to eat it like one of those Liang's sandwiches, by all means, you can have it with egg or some type of filling...whatever rocks your boat!  Me, I don't want to muck around with something that's already good, just keep it plain and simple! ^_~

Of course it doesn't beat eating a freshly made roti canai (accompanied by some delicious fish curry, dhal and sambal which is a must for some people) but this comes close.  Imagine having a light, fluffy, airy and less greasy roti at your disposal in your freezer available to you at any time of the day...sounds wonderful?

But it can also be a little scary (come to think of it) that this snack indulgence is just a hop, skip, and a jump away...coz limiting this to once a week is going to be extremely difficult...resistance is futile, they say (the only way is to not stock them in your fridge....hah...hah).  Looks like I found a new kawan.....kekeke! ^o^