Roti jala mould?

Question

hi does anyone know where i can buy a roti jala mould in australia melbourne? i'm dying to make it but i cant find the mould anywhere. i dont want to make it out of an old tin can so do let me know if u have any idea where i can buy them. i've tried my local $2 stores... and they dont sell them. help =( this is what a roti jala mould looks like...

http://pearlyn83.files.wordpress.com/2007/09/jalacup.jpg

Answer 1

Have you checked with any Asian/Chinese grocery store in your city ? It's a long shot as it's not a commonly demanded item, but can't think of any other way, unless you know of any Malaysian, Indonesian or Singaporean families living near you who might miraculously have one. Or you know of any one who is travelling to those countries soon and can get one for you.

The roti jala cup will give the most consistent effect since it was designed just to make these pancakes with the lacy net-like effect. But one must sometimes think out of the box, as they say necessity is the mother of invention. Below are some suggestions for alternatives:

- The roti jala cup has about 4 sprouts to create the lacy effect quickly. Though your hand has to move more & faster, you can use those plastic condiment bottles with a tapering sprout (commonly used to contain ketchup, chilli sauce, mustard in restaurants). This gives the best control since you can immediately stop the flow by turning the bottle the right way up.

- A less elegant way is to use a normal kitchen funnel. Maybe you can tape a small piece of aluminium foil or plastic wrap over the funnel end, then carefully make a small hole to allow batter to flow through. I think this would be a little more difficult to control the flow accurately.

- I read before that the traditional way by Malay village women was to use their hands to scoop some batter and then let the batter drip & trail off their individual fingers to create the effect. It was probably someone who couldn't stand this unhygienic practice who invented the roti jala cup!

- you could improvise one out of a brand new condensed milk or evaporated milk tin can (just empty the contents into another container). Use a clean tool with a pointed tip to bore 4 holes in the bottom, from the inside of the tin, to project outwards. You can boil the tin later to sterilise it.

Remember, never let a trifling detail like a special equipment stop you from advancing forward. If you can't topple a mountain, just go around it and continue. Have fun!