I was in Australia when this book came out, so I’m a little late bringing it to your attention. But the things is, while it’s certainly desirable for the authors (and publishers) if reviews hit publication date, and I do try to as much as I can, I feel for the rest of us it doesn’t really matter when a wonderful book comes to us, so long as it does! Roti King is a bit of an institution, a beacon of bright flavours on the dingy Euston Road, and this book of, as the subtitle promises, classic and modern Malaysian street food extends its warm welcome to home cooks seeking greed-gratification in our own kitchens. I’m all in!
I worry that saying “street food” makes it sound as if it’s all fiddly snacks, when the recipes are so much more comforting and expansive than that. I’m not sure I have room to tell you about every recipe I’m excited to cook, but a shortlist would have to take in the signature, rapturous Roti Canai; the Roti King Fried Chicken; Dried-Chilli Ginger Fish; Hainanese Chicken Rice, which (obviously) came to Malaysia from China; Pineapple and Cucumber Salad; Beetroot Stir-Fry with Coconut and Peanuts; Spicy Fried Chicken Liver; Prawn and Vegetable Fritters; Crispy Anchovies and Peanuts, for which I have a deep love; the coconutty Mint and Coriander Sambal; No-Churn Coconut Pandan Ice Cream; Banana Fritters with Cinnamon Sugar; and the intriguing sweet roti. The recipe I’m eagerly sharing with you today may not be the most accessible – only in the sense, however, that you need an obliging fishmonger – but I just had to choose the glorious Chinese-Malaysian Aromatic Crab!
Roti King: Classic and Modern Malaysian Street Food by Sugen Gopal (Quadrille, £18.99).
Photography: Sam Folan
