One of the benefits of being Tamil is a strong connection with Malaysia. For about thousand years, Tamils have traded with Malaysia. And for over 200 years Tamils have lived in Malaysia and made the country their home. So many of my friends and relatives live in Malaysia or have connections with the country. To me, that means easy access to Malaysian cooking ingredients and equipment! Just last week I had a roti jala (net bread) mould sent to me. Ive been experimenting with making roti jala and it turned out great – like a lacy, coconut flavored crepe. (You don’t really need the mould to make roti jala, you could just as well use a squeeze bottle.) I made a tofu curry to accompany the roti jala. The curry had enough Indian elements that it tasted familiar to me. At the same time, the soy sauce and lemon grass give it an exotic feel.

Roti Jala, Malaysian Net Bread. (Serve with Tofu and Broccoli Curry)
about 4-6 servings

All purpose flour – 2 cups
Egg – 1
Coconut milk – 1 1/4 cup
Water – 1 cup
Turmeric – 3/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Vegetable Oil

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Pass the batter through a strainer to remove any lumps.

Heat a non stick skillet and spray some oil or non stick spray. Use a roti jala mould or squeeze bottle and pour the batter onto the skillet making a lacy pattern (see video below by youtube user zuppe1e).

Cook till the bottom side is slightly brown. Fold the roti jala into four and remove from skillet.

Serve hot with Malaysian Tofu and Broccoli Curry

Dont have a Roti Jala mould?

You can buy a mould online through the Rasa Malaysia blog. Here is the link to Rasa Malaysia’s product page.

You can also easily make roti jalas with a squeeze bottle like this one:

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Malaysian Tofu and Broccoli Curry. (Serve with Roti Jala)
about 4-6 servings

Star Anise – 2 pieces
Cinnamon – 1/2 stick
Cloves – 4
Tomato – 1
Turmeric – 1/2 tsp
Water – 1 cup
Coconut milk – 1 can
Tofu – 1 block
Broccoli cut into small florets – 2 cups
Soy Sauce – 1 tbsp
Salt – 1 tsp
Oil – tbsp

Grind to a paste
Onion – 1/2 a medium onion
Garlic – 6 pods
Ginger, finely chopped – 2 tbsp
Lemon grass – 4 stalks
Cashew nuts – 6 pieces
Chili – 2 (I used thai green chilies. Use less for a less spicy dish)
Oil – 1 tbsp

Prepare the tofu
First drain and squeeze out excess water. Wrap the tofu in several layers of paper towel. Then wrap the tofu parcel tightly in an absorbent cloth. Place the tofu in the cloth on a flat surface, put a plate on top of it and put 3 cans (canned tomatoes, beans etc) on top of the plate. Let the tofu weigh down and compress for atleast 2 hours (I left it overnight).

Remove the cloth and paper towels and slice the tofu into flat squares. Heat a large, flat nonstick pan. Spray non stick spray. Place the tofu in a single layer on the pan and cook on medium-high heat. Don’t move the tofu around. When the tofu is golden, turn the pieces over and cook the other side till golden. While cooking, press the tops of the tofu slices to squeeze out any remaining water.

Grind the paste
Remove the outer layer of the lemon grass stalks and discard. Use only the tender white parts in the paste.

If any part of the lemon grass is tough to cut, don’t use it in the paste, but reserve it and add it whole to the curry. You can fish out the lemon grass pieces before serving.

Chop the tender, white parts of the lemon grass. Chop the ginger and onion. Place all the ingredients for the paste (onion through oil) in a blender and blend to a smooth paste.

For the curry
Heat a deep pan with oil. When the oil is hot, add the star anise, cinnamon and cloves. Fry for about 30 seconds. Then carefully add the ground paste to the oil. Fry the paste on medium heat, stirring often, till the paste is fragrant and light brown – about 15 minutes.

Add the chopped tomato, turmeric and salt and saute 30 seconds. Now add the water and reserved lemon grass stems (the tough ones you didn’t grind up) and simmer for about 20 minutes. Pour in the coconut milk. Immediately add the soy sauce, broccoli florets and prepared tofu. Simmer on low for about 5 minutes or till the broccoli is tender. Pull out the lemon grass before serving.

Serve hot with Roti Jala.

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