We Malaysians need no convincing that when it comes down to a meal fit for all hours of the day, a hot, crisp and fluffy serving of roti canai with dal and a medley of different curries hits the spot just right. Readily available at most mamak restaurants across the country at an affordable price, it’s no wonder why they have remained as one of the most popular staples in local cuisine. More so when one considers how expensive eating out can be now!
Roti canai bags number 2 spot on TasteAtlas’ Top 100 Best Street Foods
And over the years the dish’s popularity has swelled beyond local shores, with many tourists easily naming roti canai as one of their favourite Malaysian foods. Which is why it should come as no surprise that once again, it has been tapped as the world’s second-best street food by Croatia-based experiential food guide, TasteAtlas in their latest February 2023 rankings!
As shared over their official social media pages on Saturday (February 18th, 2023), roti canai managed to make it in the top 3 category, only being eked out by guotie, otherwise known as pan-fried dumplings, from China for the top spot.
Described as a traditional ‘pan-fried flatbread made with flour, water, eggs, and fat’, the site goes on to explain that the dough used to make roti canai is first repeatedly folded during the preparation process to give it its signature flaky and fluffy interior.
Speaking on the provenance of the dish, TasteAtlas goes on to elaborate that the recipe for roti canai most likely originated in India and was brought over to Malaysia by Indian labourers who migrated into the country during the 19th and 20th century.
As for other Southeast Asian dishes on the ranking, Vietnam’s Bánh mì sandwiches managed to place number 7, while a litany of Indonesian dishes such as bubur ayam, tempeh mendoan, pempek, pisang goreng, and serabi all placed number 13, number 14, number 37, number 40 and number 41 respectively. Lumpiang Shanghai from the Philippines on the other hand, ranked number 45.
Previously, the publication ranked roti canai as the world’s number 1 best street food back in September of 2022.
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