This snack is based on Roti Babi, which as its name suggests, contains pork. It is said to be of Penang Nonya or Hainanese origins and has been around since the time of the British. There doesn’t seem to be a definitive recipe for this filled fried bread, and so I have made Roti Ayam based on information I have gathered from several sources. I read that the famous Yut Kee restaurant in Kuala Lumpur included raw sengkuang in the filling (along with Chinese wax sausage).
The eggs that they use to coat the bread parcels before frying are separated and the egg white whisked like a meringue first. This produces a crisper coating. I have also included cooked crab in the filling as suggested in a few recipes. Roti Ayam is eaten with knife and fork (so British!) and a condiment of cut chillies in Worcestershire sauce.
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