Roti
โรตี
Thai Roti is a thin, flaky pan-fried flatbread sold as a street dessert, typically topped with condensed milk, banana, or egg — a legacy of Muslim-Indian traders in southern Thailand. It's crispy on the outside, soft and layered within.
Cultural Origin
Thai street roti descends from South Asian paratha brought by Indian-Muslim traders and refined by Thai-Muslim communities, especially in southern Thailand and Bangkok. The street-food sweet version, fried in margarine on a hot griddle and topped with condensed milk, banana, egg or Nutella, is a late-20th-century evolution. The savoury version, served with curry, remains common in southern Muslim households.
Regional Variants
| Region | How it differs |
|---|---|
| Southern | Southern Thai-Muslim roti is most often savoury, eaten with massaman, gaeng matsaman or chicken curry as a meal. |
| Central | Bangkok and Central street vendors specialise in sweet roti, griddled crisp and finished with condensed milk, sugar, banana or egg. |
Allergens & Sensitivities
Key Ingredients
- flour dough
- condensed milk
- banana
- egg
- butter
Taste profile
- Salty
- fish sauce, soy, shrimp paste
- Sweet
- palm sugar, coconut
- Sour
- lime, tamarind, fermentation
- Umami
- dried shrimp, fermented pastes, stock
The dough itself is barely sweet — most of the sugar comes from the condensed milk drizzled on afterward, so the fried dough underneath tastes closer to a plain, buttery fried pastry.
How Roti Is Made
- 1
Kneading
A dough of flour, water, egg, and a little sugar is kneaded until elastic and left to rest.
- 2
Portioning
The dough is divided into balls, each coated in oil so it stays stretchable rather than tearing.
- 3
Stretching
A vendor slaps and stretches a ball into a thin, almost translucent sheet on an oiled surface, working entirely by hand.
- 4
Folding
The sheet is folded over itself several times before hitting the griddle, which is what creates the flaky internal layers.
- 5
Frying
The folded dough fries on a hot, well-oiled griddle until the outside is crisp and golden and the inside stays soft.
- 6
Topping
Once off the griddle it is cut into pieces and topped with condensed milk plus banana, egg, or other fillings.
When It’s Eaten
Sold from evening street carts rather than served at set mealtimes, and eaten on the spot while still hot — the layers turn tough once the roti cools.
How to Order It
- ขอโรตีกล้วยหนึ่งที่
- kor roti kluay neung thi
- One banana roti, please
- ขอโรตีไข่
- kor roti khai
- Egg roti, please
What people get wrong
Waiting too long to eat it. Roti is made to order and is at its best in the first few minutes off the griddle, while the outside is still crackling.
Where to Try It
Muslim street food stalls throughout Bangkok (especially Silom), Chiang Mai night markets, and throughout southern Thailand.
Tips
- Banana and condensed milk is the classic combination — but egg roti with pandan jam is equally outstanding.
- Watch the vendor stretch the dough paper-thin before folding — the technique creates the flaky layers.