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Roti mataba (potato-stuffed roti)

โรตีมะตะบะ · Southern Thai folded roti filled with curried potato and onion, with cucumber relish

Roti mataba came to southern Thailand with Indian-Muslim traders, and today the roti stalls of Hat Yai, Satun and Pattani, and the old Muslim quarter around Bangkok's Phra Athit Road, serve it from morning till late. A thin stretched roti is wrapped around a spiced filling, folded into a square and fried until crisp and blistered. Chicken or beef is the usual filling; the potato and onion version made here is also common and is the one sold to vegetarian customers. It comes cut into squares with a sweet-sour cucumber relish (ajad) on the side. Chef's tip: oil the dough balls and leave them to rest for at least two hours; rested dough stretches paper-thin without tearing.
Total time
70 min
Difficulty
medium
Serves
4
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Ingredients

Serves4

For the dough

  • 10 ½ oz plain flour
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • ¾ cup warm water
  • 4 tbsp vegetable oilplus more for resting the dough

For the filling

For the cucumber relish (ajad)

  • ¼ cup rice vinegar
  • 3 tbsp sugar
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ cucumberquartered lengthways and thinly sliced
  • 1 shallotthinly sliced
  • 1 red chillisliced

For frying

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Method

0/9 done
  1. Step 1: Mix 10 ½ oz plain flour, ½ tsp salt and 1 tbsp sugar. Add ¾ cup warm water and 4 tbsp vegetable oil and knead for 10 minutes until smooth and very soft. Divide into 4 balls, coat them generously in oil, cover and rest for at least 2 hours (or overnight in the fridge).

    10 min
  2. Step 2: For the relish, warm ¼ cup rice vinegar, 3 tbsp sugar and ½ tsp salt in a small pan until the sugar dissolves. Cool, then add ½ cucumber, 1 shallot and 1 red chilli.

    3 min
  3. Step 3: Boil 14 oz floury potatoes in salted water for 6–7 minutes until a knife slides in easily. Drain well.

    7 min
  4. Step 4: Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and fry 1 onion for 5 minutes until soft and golden. Add 2 cloves garlic, 2 tsp mild curry powder and ½ tsp ground turmeric and stir for 30 seconds until fragrant.

    6 min
  5. Step 5: Add the potatoes, 2 ⅛ oz frozen peas and ¾ tsp salt and fry for 3 minutes, pressing some of the potato so the filling holds together. Stir in 2 spring onion and 2 tbsp coriander and let it cool; hot filling tears the dough.

    3 min
  6. Step 6: On an oiled worktop, press a dough ball flat with oiled hands, then stretch and pull it from the edges into a sheet about 35 cm across, so thin you can nearly see through it. Small holes don't matter.

  7. Step 7: Heat 1 tbsp of 4 tbsp vegetable oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Lay the dough in the pan, spoon a quarter of the filling into a 12 cm square in the middle and fold the four sides over it like an envelope.

    1 min
  8. Step 8: Fry for 3 minutes per side, pressing down with a spatula, until both sides are crisp, blistered and deep golden. Too high a heat browns the outside before the folded layers cook through. Repeat with the rest.

    24 min
  9. Step 9: Cut each mataba into 6 squares and serve hot with the cucumber relish.

Nutrition per serving

Calories
560 kcal
Protein
11 g
Carbs
78 g
Fat
23 g
Fibre
5 g

Nutrition values are estimates.

K
Recipe by

KrazyBadal

All recipes by this chef →

Good to know

How long does roti mataba (potato-stuffed roti) take?
About 70 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
How many people does it serve?
4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
Is it vegan?
Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
What can I use instead of plain flour?
Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
What can I use instead of sugar?
Caster sugar, same amount.

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