It is currently the final week of Masterchef Australia. Six contestants are battling it out to become the first Masterchef Australia winner this week.
One of the finalists, Poh, who has a Malaysian Chinese background, decided to cook this interesting combination of Lacy Coconut Pancakes and Chicken Floss Curry during last week's challenge. The challenge was to dish up dinner for four mystery special guests - who turned out to be four of Australia’s most respected chefs (Margaret Fulton, Jacque Raymond, Amando Percuoco and Cheong Lui) - and Masterchef judge Matt Preston.
I have special interest in Poh because we share a similar background and she has cooked some interesting Malaysian dishes during her Masterchef journey. Two of her most notable dishes are: Hakka Abacus Beads Yam Dumpling (???) and Sweet Potato in Coconut Custard (Bubur Cha-Cha). These dishes are not readily available in Australia and probably most Australians have not yet tasted them.
For some reason I can't explain, I was expecting Poh to cook this Malaysian Lacy coconut pancake (it's called Roti Jala in Malaysia) and when she finally did it last week (you can watch the episode HERE), I was ecstatic. She also did a Malaysian Chicken Floss Curry to pair with the pancakes. I couldn't resist but to recreate the same dishes for our Sunday dinner: I was very very happy with the results.
The name Roti Jala is derived from the Malay word 'Roti' (Bread) and 'Jala' (Net). It is usually eaten spicy with curry or sweet with serawa. Serawa is made from a mixture of boiled coconut milk, brown sugar and pandan leaf.
We use a Roti Jala Mold - A special ladle with a five-hole perforation - to make the pancake look like a fish net:
This roti jala mold is easily available in Malaysia but if you can't get hold of it, don't be put off. Poh cut a tiny hole from the corner of an empty fresh cream container and used it to make her pancakes!
Here is the recipe for the Roti Jala. Chicken Floss Curry recipe can be found HERE.
Malaysian Lacy Coconut Pancakes (Roti Jala) Recipe
Ingredients
- 100 g all purpose flour, sieved
- 100 ml water
- 100 ml coconut milk
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 egg
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
Method
- Mix all ingredients well to form a smooth batter and strain it through a fine sieve.
- Add more water if the batter is too thick.
- Grease the frying pan with oil, then add in some batter into the roti jala mold and sing a circular motion, let it drip to form a thin layer of pancake.
- When cooked, fold it into desired shape and serve with curry or sugar.