Siam Square & Digital Gateway

I would like to give a quick post on another delicious snack in Bangkok. By the word snack, I am once again referring to awesome street food that you could find almost everywhere. The snack that I pretty much grew up on is called Roti, and the best always come from street vendors with that portable cart.

Like many other snacks in Thailand, roti vendors are becoming harder to find nowadays. This only means one thing. When you come across one, you need to seize the opportunity and get some! Roti is not a traditional Thai snack. I would assume that they originated from India or nearby countries, as they’re very similar to roti prata. To those not familiar to roti or roti prata, they’re essentially another version of pancake, made with flour, eggs, milk and other ingredients to produce a very uniquely-textured dough.

These balls of dough are then flattened, then beaten to incorporate air, until the dough becomes a thin sheet that’s just barely ripping with a few holes. At this point, you may fear that the hands of the vendors are not clean (since 99. 99% of them will not wear gloves), but I am a living proof that over 21 years of eating them, I never got sick once. This is an incredible record that is shared by almost the entire population that eats roti here in Thailand. The secret is, it is here that they’re carefully folded in the hot frying pan, with a table spoon of oil and a good tough of margarine or butter. This is where the magic happens - as well as the part that all the bacterias from the hands of the vendors are killed.

The beautiful aroma of the margarine will infused the roti, adding to its wonderful flavours and texture. After no more than a minute in the frying pan, they’re quickly drained of excess oil and directly transferred to layers of paper. The vendor will drizzle a generous amount of sweeten condensed milk (you can ask for more or less) and sprinkle a good load of sugar. The last step will see the vendor expertly fold the roti into the paper for your convenience and enjoyment.

What I described above is the most simple type of roti, just with condensed milk and sugar. This is what I would prefer any day, however they also have options with adding an egg, or sliced bananas, with milo powder, or pandan cream, etc. They are now so many variations of the snack, but as I said, the hardest part is to find the vendor. I would suggest that you definitely get one of the original roti that I mentioned, and try another version of your choice. I usually see a roti vendor at the corner of Siam Square and MBK later in the afternoon. Other than this specific place, it is very difficult to pin point them, as they’re always on the move.

If I have a choice, I would love to eat rotis at the end of every meal and even for afternoon snacks. Nowadays, fresh snacks are either difficult to find or they are fresh and hence will cost more than usual. I also see rotis as a connection between Thai cuisines and that brought by the people from India and nearby areas.

It is no secret that rotis are not Thai food, but what I enjoy seeing is the combination between a local delicacy of a foreign country, mixed with Thai influences. For the example that is roti, the actual dough and roti concept is foreign, yet we still manage to add the ''Thai factor'' to them, which is your thick, sweet condensed milk. It is fair to say that any dessert or sweets that have condensed milk on top, is either from Thailand or our neighbouring countries in the South East Asian region.

Since this may be a challenge to find if time isn’t on your side, it is only fair that I recommend an alternative to the rotis. If you’re in the Siam Square area as I recommended, there’s another place that serves something similar but in the shape of toasted bread, called Milk Plus. The little cafe is located behind Digital Gateway Mall, just next to a few banks and ATMs. You get delicious toasted breads (somewhat like brioche) with your desired toppings. I usually enjoy a simple one with butter and sugar, or condensed milk and sugar, and another childhood favorite, panda sauce. It is almost a guarantee than anything in Thailand with either condensed milk and/or panda sauce is gonna taste out of thing world. They’re like the heroes that make everything around them taste better. You may also try their milk-based drinks here, such as the regular full cream milk, or Thai Milk Tea, or what I also really enjoy, Red Milk Tea of Red Syrup.

I grew up adoring these delicious rotis, and would strongly recommend that you try this whenever you’re in Thailand. They do pack a punch of sweetness, but I’m not sure a few added calories won’t hurt!

The best way to find Milk Plus is to check out this link, which has a nice little interactive map to avoid getting lost.

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