Monday 26 November 2007

Roti Benggali Anyone?

I got up at about 3.00 this morning and couldn't go back to sleep so what better way to while the hours than to surf? I go blog hopping and as usual would visit Shah of cakapaje. He has a nice piece today but the second part of his entry is of special interest. It is about 'Roti Benggali'. To those from Penang, 'Roti Benggali' is nothing new and since Shah said that he ate his in Melaka, I guess it is a normal fare there too.

Damn it, I don't have any pictures of Roti Benggali but I would like to share with you some of the ways I like to eat my RB. My most common way of eating RB is to finish off a loaf (its not that big really but very filling) with 2 fried eggs. The eggs must not be fully fried. Sprinkle some ground black peppers and salt and dig in or 'cicah' as we say it here.

RB goes well with any kind of curry, be it fish, beef or mutton or better still, dalca. As far as curry is concern, day old leftover curries are the best. I am not much of a fish man but a day old leftover fish curry with RB is heavenly. In fact, in Penang there is one small mamak shop that sells RB with fish curry.

Shah likes his with kaya which is quite common but I never like anything sweet with my RB. It must be curried or with fried eggs.

I have here a simple recipe on how best to eat RB with both eggs and curry. Some of you may know it already but to the uninitiated, why not give it a try. It is very simple really.

1. Heat a kuali. (wok)
2. A little cooking oil to prevent sticking.
3. Pour in about 3 quarter cup of curry into the kuali. You can either add or reduce the amount.
4. When it boils, break 2 eggs into the wok.
5. Wait for about a minute before stirring the eggs. Do not stir too much.
6. When it is nearly dry, kill the fire.
7. Good for only 1 person. If you don't have RB, you can eat it with Gardenia Bread.

I don't know how you fieel about it but as far as I am concern, the above could anytime be dinner for me. In fact, sometimes, when I run out of ideas on what to eat for dinner, I prepare the above and it is enough and surely cheap.

The price of RB certainly has gone up though. About 3 to 4 years ago it used to cost 30 sen a loaf but is now 80 sen. Just imagine 80 sen a loaf, 60 sen for 2 eggs and your dinner costs you only RM1.40.

Update
I can't thank muteaudio enough for sending me this caption of Roti Benggali.




38 comments:

Anonymous said...

Salam Cik Gu

Since you are talking about food or roti I would like to mention about the "roti kepala lutut" (and also "biskut merry")that we had during our school days and wonder if you have the same experience, cik gu. You can buy it at any Indian or Nyonya sundries shops in my town and it cost about 10 cent for three for the "roti kepala lutut" and for the "biskut merry" its 10 cents for 10 pieces, thats in the late 60s.

And its best taken/eaten with the Kopi "O".Lagi sejuk lagi best.
Normally, we children would have these roti for breakfast or for the afternoon tea. Now you rarely see it and even if you can find them you have to buy them in bulk.
Ah....! what a simple life we have then.......

Kerp (Ph.D) said...

cikgu,

that 'day old leftover curry' is a real classic. just like a day old cooked rice for nasi goreng.

roti benggali here in kl is obviously a rare thing. we only get a loaf or two whenever someone comes back from kampong or something. normally they sell together with their family's kaya secret recipe.

Mr. Right said...

Wah... Aku pun suka cicah roti ngn kari, but not with egg la. Kena try ni. Kari + telur dan makan dengan roti, sambil tengok bola EPL. Best gila kan. Of cos la, extra best kalau team kita menang. :)

Unknown said...

Bru,
I am not sure but I think I know the roti kepala lutut but biskut merry was a must when we were young. How I miss those good times. We were satisfied with just a little.

Unknown said...

kerpie,
Yes, on my trips to KL I never got to eat RB. Kayelites surely have missed one of the wonders on eating. The best part about RB is that it is good both for breakfast and dinner but not lunch.

Unknown said...

Boleh makan lagi ka walaupun dok ada di tangga 5? I am eating well despite the hiccup coz we are so far up.

Give it a try, sedap I tell you.

cakapaje said...

Salam Cikgu,

Hmm...your recipe sounds real good, I'm smacking my lips already.

As for biskut merry by bru99, we use to have those too - they were fabulous!

Bergen said...

Way to go, chef!

Daphne Ling said...

Hi Chegu,

Wah...Never thought you would share a recipe ;) Hehe...I have no idea what RB is though...=(

By the way, you mentioned you went to the Jalan Dairy teacher's training college...You went to visit saje ke, were you a pupil once? If yes, mummy wants to know, which batch? =)

constant drama said...

"Roti Benggali"? "Roti kepala lutut"? "Biskut merry"?.....honestly never heard of these before.

I'm sooo gona go try Roti Benggali the next time I hit Penang and bru99, where to get these "roti kepala lutut" that you were talking about? Im soo curious now.

Mat Salo said...

Hai-hai... awat citer nie, syoru punya hal. Ini torture laa Chegu mana ada roti benggali kat Indo.. apa lagi di atas kapai. Hmmm biskut merry. Nanti balik nak check Tesco. Ada juai lagi kah? *perut dah berkeroncong-ing*

Chegu - coba jawab siket constant drama tuh. She's missing one of life's greatest pleasures. Slurrrrp... pas pekene RB dok pekene kopi kao-kao. Pastu Dunhill kotak besar... waaaah... :)

Unknown said...

shah,
Yeah, luckily here in Penang RB is quite a common fare. In fact only recently I had a loaf and it filled me for the night. Buleh cicah dengan kopi o kow pun. Otherwise, ambil 1 half loaf dan potong 2 slices. Toast and masa still hot spread margarine or butter. Cut into square cubes and just dump 2 soft boil eggs on top. Sprinkle ground black pepper and salt if needed. Then bantai saja.

Unknown said...

Bergen,
Yeah, chef cikgu has a nice ring to it. Tell you the truth I am plain no good when it comes to cooking.

Unknown said...

Daphne,
I was the second batch of Maktab Perguruan Kinta Ipoh student. To be more precise I was the 75/76 batch. I was in the E6 class. Could your mom be someone I know?

Unknown said...

Constant Drama,
Like what Mat Salo said, you have missed out on one of the 7 wonders of the cullinary world. Actually it is almost like Gardenia bread accept it is shaped like a small brick. The inside is very-very fluffy and white, definitely better than Gardenia. Over here we like to have hot from the oven.

Unknown said...

Mat Salo,
Berapa lama lagi akan ada di perantauan? Have you ever tried it before? Kalau belum come over la and I suruh my wife buat mutton kima and kita makan dengan RB. Sure terangkat punya. The offer goes to everyone.

Daph,
If you want to try, just give me a call.

muteaudio said...

Cikgu,
Saya selalu jugak try dapatkan RB drpd ISmalia kat Transfer Road.

Nak kan kepastian, Roti KEpala Lutut = Roti Mayat? (selalu dihidangkan semasa majlis tahlil).

Saya ada gambar RB, blur sikit.
http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2761/1174/1600/PICT0308.jpg

Unknown said...

muteaudio,
Thank you very-very much for the photo. Entah, tetiba mood RB mai and the culprit who started it is Shah of cakapje.

tokasid said...

Salam che'gu:

Aduhai...lapaq teroih rasa perot ni.

Haven't had RB in Melaka. Kalau nak have to go back to Tepen.
Memang RB kalu cicah with gulai ikan leftovers...syurrrr nak mampoih.

Anyway last Sunday I had pulut with nyiok sagat and tamban kerin for breakfast in Alq Staq.The last time I had that for breakfast was 25 years ago!!

monsterball said...

hahahahaha...feeling hungry every morning? Me too!!
But my favourite has always been torsai....and tried so many different kind. Chatnee is a must with torsai....but go a bit latter..get a plate of sambal cuttle fish...or just a drum stick witn tea tarrik...real nice.
In India...not easy to get roti cannai...only torsai...and all vegetarian..no meat.
But go back to the hotel restaurant....you can eat all Indian..Mogul..Parkistani....Sri Lakan breakfast...all different.
In K.Lumpur...Brickfield road {Tun Sambantan Rd.}...Indian food is the best..and for Moguls...you have few near Tunku Abdul Rahman Rd... and surroundings roads.
Now you got me real hungry and it's 5.30am...got to wait 1 more hour.

monsterball said...

I will ask for 'roti benggali" and try it out!!

Unknown said...

Doc,
Boleh dapat lagi ka RB di Tepen? I read in some other blog, you are going to Cairo. Tour ka, medical seminar ka, personal business ka, or stopover sebelum pi Mekah ka?

Unknown said...

Monty,
Yes, Indian food is a favourite of mine. I take torsai for breakfast sometimes twice a week. It must be either with beef curry or chicken curry. I remember when I was still a kid, my late mother would make torsai. I haven't had the chance to eat Indian food in India coz I have never been there before.

Accia said...

salam chegu,
a'a chegu, i will usually bring back a few loaves kalau balik dari penang.
true about 'kari semalam' with roti benggali or roti canai, memang sesuai. teringat dulu masa kecik-kecik, takut tengok benggali juai roti ni yang selalu mai rumah malacca street. kalau nak beli, tunduk je. during my teens, the benggali died.

Unknown said...

Acia,
Awat yang takut kat Bhai tu? Saya masih ingat saya pi beli di Kamalia Bakery Bt Mertajam. Saya mintak roti benggali dan dia kata,"mamak bikin ini roti semua orang cakap benggali"

Anonymous said...

salam Che Gu,

Che Gu buat naya kat saya ni.
Habih ayak liok dok meleleh.
Dudok dekat Kajang mana nak cari RB.
Kat sini satay banyak lah.
It seem ages since I had RB.
Beside the left over curry, there are other "kuahs" that goes well with RB. Kita bolih cicah dengan kuah "serabai". Another favorite dip will be the "bubok kacang".
Betul betul terangkat.
kimasapi.

Unknown said...

kimasapi
Ya la, kuah serabai. Di sini di astakan Taman Tun Sardon, tiap-tiao pagi ada serabai. Beli hangat2 phuh! terangkat la.

Oh! dudok di-Kajang. Dari cagha ceghita tadi dah lama la tu duduk sana. Yes, satay kajang memang tiada tandingannya. Satay sini okay2 aje.

tokasid said...

Che'gu:

InsyaALLAH pi 4-12 dec. Mak andeh blanja jadi kita ni nganga apa lagi kan.Ikut saja la.
Kira ni pi makan angin la, mak andeh dah berhajat lama nak pi tgk neri per'aun tu tapi kita tok laki ni payah la sikit pasai macam-macam nak kena slesai.Kalu dalam neri ni muleh lah tok laki blanja.

tokasid said...

Che'gu dan kimasapi:

Satay Kajang ni bagi aku la kan, maneh sangat. Satay maneh,kuah pun maneh.Jadi aku yang memang ada senyuman maneh dan kencin maneh tak bropa suka lah satay kajang.

Unknown said...

Doc,
Kira alright la macam tu. Nasib baik Firaun2 semua dah takdak kecuali sorang yang cukup Maha yang dok ada lagi disini.

Aku pun ada pass water sweet jugak dan memang elak la jugak makan manih. Aku dapat makan satay kajang pun lebih korang 3 taun dulu bila anak aku kerja di PJ. Dia dok di Sungai Buloh. Bila nak balik mai Penang, dia nanti singgah makan di Kajang dan bok balik kat aku, Aku pun tunggu la macam budak tunggu mak balik beli cekelat. Dah 2 tahun dia pindah balik Penang aku pun tak mimpi nak dapat makan.

Anyway bila pi tu jangan la tersesat terseberang sempadan pi Israel pulak, naya nanti.

Anonymous said...

Cakap pasai satay Kajang ni Che Gu & Doc, I have never come across people who are so passionate about their satay except those people in Kajang. Kita di Penang kalau nak makan satay pun selalunya sebelah malam dan occasionally saja. Tapi kat sini, breakfast dah makan satay.

kimasapi

Unknown said...

Kimasapi,
Satay for breakfast? Thats something new to me but I don't mind trying it. Bulan puasa depa bukak dengan satay jugak ka?

Accia said...

salam again chegu,
hah betoi jugak pasai mamak bikin benggali dapat nama hee...
di malacca street benggali pakai serban juai roti dan koi dalam bakoi.

Wah! bestnya pi tempat fer'aoun doc.
yang saya ni, baru 2minggu cuti, dah tak larat dah pi mph lah, borders lah, times lah, kinokuniya lah. budak-budak ni kalu cuti makan banyak pulak tu. dah start dah bukak buku resipi cari idea. maklumlah, nak pi jalan joh-joh belum ada rezki. saya cakap dengan anak pi lah ikut sepupu tu pi zoo hari ni. dia kata tak nak, kalu ada big foot kat zoo baru depa nak pi. bila cakap pasai big foot, teringat benggali juai roti tu lagi. hee...

Anonymous said...

Ajit baru 2 hari lepas aku beli RB kat kilang KAMALIA BAKERY depan HBM. Panas lagi, slalu aku beli 1 bantai (6 biji/set) ada 4 corner lot) Aku cicah dengan teh-O panas atau dengan gulai perangat. memang BEST.

Unknown said...

Jamal,
Lama tak dengaq dari hang. Masa di BM dulu, di situ la aku cari RB selalu, tapi yang di Penang, dulu AAA Bakery tapi lani Patchee Bakery, roti dia lagi gebu.

Anonymous said...

salam Che Gu,

Saya dulu biasa tinggal around that area Che Gu. Selalu dok melengung kat kedai mamak depan HBM sebelah Kamalia Bakery. Petang petang dok tenggok jugak mamak 4-5 oranng dok keliling meja panjang bagiuh dok uli tepong buat roti. Dulu depa bakak pakai kayu, lani pakai gas dah kot.
Dok kat kedai mamak tu bukan apa,..kan kat sebelah atas bukit tu ada hostel nurse. Tak ada kerja dok usha nurse.

kimasapi

Anonymous said...

Cikgu, the roti looks like a'gundu' the 'benggali' kid used to have on his head.Thats what we kid used to refer!

Anonymous said...

Salam Cik Gu

Minta lalu cik gu

Constant_drama, the roti kepala lutut during those days can be bought at any sundries shops around town but now I am not sure if you're in Kuala Kangsar, the royal town you can get it at the "Lembah" side (near the river)you go to the apek or indian sundries shops and ask for "roti kepala lutut" or "biskut merry". And they will gladly sold you the stuff that you have been missing all these years.

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