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Roti sai mai
Candy floss crêpes
โรตีสายไหม · thin pandan crêpes wrapped around strands of pulled-sugar floss
Ayutthaya's famous souvenir is sold from stalls along the road outside the city's hospital and old temples: a bag of soft, thin crêpes and a bag of pastel floss, to roll together yourself. The floss (sai mai, 'silk thread') is pulled sugar, finer and silkier than fairground candy floss, and melts on the tongue against the slightly salty, chewy crêpe. Pulling floss takes practice, so most home cooks buy it from Thai shops and make the crêpes fresh. Chef's tip: the classic mistake is wrapping the floss while the crêpe is hot; let the crêpes cool or the sugar melts into a sticky smear.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the crêpes
- 5 ½ oz plain flour
- 1 egg
- ¾ cup waterapproximately
- 3 ½ tbsp whole milk
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- ½ tsp pandan extractfor green crêpes; leave out for plain
- 1 tbsp neutral oilfor the pan
To fill
- 5 ½ oz Thai sugar floss (sai mai)from Thai or Asian shops; or Persian pashmak
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Whisk 5 ½ oz plain flour, ¼ tsp salt and 1 tsp sugar, then whisk in 1 egg, 3 ½ tbsp whole milk, ½ tsp pandan extract and enough ¾ cup water to make a batter as thick as double cream. Rest for 30 minutes.
30 minStep 2: Heat a non-stick frying pan over a low heat and wipe it with a little 1 tbsp neutral oil. Dip your fingers in the batter and smear a very thin layer across the pan in sweeping circles, or swirl 2 tablespoons around the pan.
1 minStep 3: Cook until the crêpe is set, dry and peels away at the edges, about 1 minute, without letting it colour. Lift onto a plate; stack the crêpes under a cloth and repeat.
20 minStep 4: When the crêpes are cool, lay one flat, put a loose handful of 5 ½ oz Thai sugar floss (sai mai) in the middle, fold in the sides and roll up. Eat straight away, before the floss melts.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 240 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 49 g
- Fat
- 3 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does roti sai mai take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 35 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- 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 egg?
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water per egg, left for 5 minutes (baking only; vegan).
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