1 lb (500 g) all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 egg, beaten

3 tablespoons softened butter or ghee

Pinch of sugar, or to taste (optional)

¾-1 cup (200-250 ml) warm water or milk

METHOD

Sift the flour and salt together. Add the egg, butter, sugar and a little milk at a time, kneading until you have a soft dough. Gather up into a ball and put in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap to prevent in from drying out. Set aside for a few hours or overnight.

Divide the dough into 8 balls. Flatten and pat each one down with your fingers to a 5-in (12-cm) round, sprinkling or brushing with oil as you go.

At this point the cooks on the street stalls in Malaysia do some very showy lifting and tossing over their heads and back on to an oiled surface about 18 in (45 cm) in diameter. Without aspiring to perform this difficult feat, you should be able (if you oil your fingers well) to work the dough out as thinly as possible into a wide circle. Fold four pieces inwards around the circumference, pressing them down a little, then fold again at the four points you have created. You should end up with a round shape about 6 in (15 cm) in diameter. Bake, folder side down, in a greased heavy pan or on a griddle, brushing with a little ghee as you turn it to make the surface turn golden brown. The folds will give a layered quality that is an important part of this scone-like roti. Serve hot with a bowl of curry or lentils.