Is it the same snack as roti sai mai?
No. Roti sai mai is an Ayutthaya snack of thin roti wrapped around spun sugar. This guide covers street roti, griddled dough served with a sweet sauce.
Roti
Thai Roti · โรตี
If you want a sweet snack on the street, try roti. A thinly stretched dough is cooked on a griddle and served with sweet sauces such as condensed milk or chocolate. There are versions with banana, so it is a good pick when you want fruit and a snack together. If the vendor cuts the roti for you, share it a piece at a time while it is warm.
Thai Roti at Bang Luang Mosque, 2019 · แอนเดอร์สัน · CC BY-SA 4.0
Resized for display · Photo provided under CC BY-SA 4.0
What does it taste like?
You enjoy the thin griddled dough and the sweet sauce together. The crispness at the edges and the softness inside change with the ingredients and how it is cooked. In a version with banana, you taste the fruit's sweetness too.
Banana and sauce differ by menu item. Pick the toppings you want first.
Dish basics
- Dish name
- Roti · Thai Roti
- Thai name
- โรตี
- Type
- Desserts
- Region
- Southern Thailand · A Thai street snack
- Key ingredients
- A griddled dough served with sauces such as condensed milk and chocolate. Whether it has banana or egg depends on the menu item.
The dish and where it comes from
In Thailand, roti is also found as a sweet street snack. Roti sai mai from Ayutthaya is a thin roti wrapped around spun sugar, and it is eaten differently from the griddled roti introduced here. If you try both, you get different snacks under the same name of roti.
How to order and eat it
- Choose plain roti or roti with banana or another filling, and tell the vendor which sauce you want.
- If you want less condensed milk or sauce, ask before it is cooked. It is hard to reduce the amount once the sauce has been drizzled on.
- Share the cut roti a piece at a time while it is warm.
Frequently asked questions
Can I order it if I cannot eat egg or milk?
Ask about what goes into the dough, the toppings and the sauce, all together. Even a menu item without egg can have an ingredient you avoid in the dough or the condensed milk.
More dishes and cities to explore
Official sources and references
If you want to read more about the food and the regions behind it, these sources are a good place to start. Ingredients and recipes can vary from one restaurant to the next.
View official sources · 1
Sharing image credit: แอนเดอร์สัน · CC BY-SA 4.0