Malaysian Roti Canai with Lentil Dip

Combine bread flour, sugar, kosher salt, egg, melted butter, and water in a mixing bowl. Use your hands to mix the ingredients until they come together in a rough, dough-like consistency. Transfer this mixture to a work surface and knead until it forms a smooth, elastic dough, taking about 7 minutes to achieve this.

Divide the dough into 8 equal portions and shape each one into a ball. Coat each ball with vegetable oil, place it on a plate, cover it with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, ginger, garlic, kosher salt, curry powder, paprika, cumin, black pepper, and cayenne pepper; stir together and sauté until the onion is softened and the spices have a pleasant aroma, taking around 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and cook until it starts to develop a rich, caramelized flavor on the bottom of the pan, about 3 minutes.

Stir in cold water and coconut milk. Add lentils; stir and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and let it cook, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are tender, taking around 40 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed. Reduce heat to low and keep warm while you prepare the roti canai.

Place 1/4 cup of melted butter in a bowl. Transfer the rested dough balls to a lightly oiled work surface. Flatten each ball slightly and apply a small amount of melted butter on top. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it warm up slightly, taking about 10 minutes.

Press down on the plastic wrap to flatten the warmed dough. Remove the plastic wrap and add a bit more butter. Use your hands to stretch each piece of dough from the center outwards, aiming for a thin, almost transparent layer. Add more butter as needed to achieve the desired consistency. Don't worry if there are a few small tears in the dough.

Sprinkle some melted butter on top of the dough, then use your hands to pull two sides in towards the center until they touch and overlap slightly. Pull the other two edges in the same way to form a square shape. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and flatten it one more time.

Heat a skillet over medium or medium-low heat. Add some melted butter to the skillet and then place the roti canai on top. Cook until it's browned, flaky, and crispy on the outside and fully cooked through on the inside, taking around 3 to 4 minutes per side.

Remove the roti canai from the skillet and use your hands to fluff it up and separate its layers. Repeat this process to cook the remaining roti canai.

Serve the roti canai alongside the curried red lentil dip, sprinkled with cilantro and sliced serrano peppers.