Ping Coombes' Coconut Dhal & Roti Canai

1 Place the lentils in a medium saucepan along with turmeric, chilli powder, ½ tsp salt, 300ml water and the coconut milk. Bring to boil then simmer gently for 20 minutes until the lentils are creamy and tender.

2 Meanwhile heat the butter and vegetable oil in a frying pan, place the tomatoes cut-side down and leave to caramelise for 2 minutes. Add in the onions, curry leaves and cumin seeds to the pan. Toss with the tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes until the onions are softened and the tomatoes are blistered. Top the dhal with cumin tomatoes.

3 For the roti, mix together the condensed milk, egg, 1 tbsp oil, 85ml water and ¾ tsp salt. Make sure they are mixed evenly.

4 Make a well in the centre of the flour and pour in the mixture slowly. Incorporate well and the dough will come together. The dough will seem a little sticky at first but after kneading for 5 minutes, it will come together to create a smooth dough. Do not add extra flour. Let it rest for at least 20 minutes. Knead for another 5 minutes and then divide into 6 dough balls.

5 Coat your hands in vegetable oil to rub onto the dough balls. Put the dough balls in a shallow container in which they fit snugly, then pour enough vegetable oil to cover the dough balls. Cover and place in the fridge overnight, but allow to come up to room temperature before cooking.

6 Take a dough ball out, dip your hands in the oil, press lightly on the dough to flatten. Stretch it out as thinly as you can with the palm of your hand and fingers. Dip your hands in oil occasionally to help with the stretching of the dough. Fold the edges into the middle trapping as much air as possible to form a roughly 15cm x 17cm rectangle. Repeat to make 6 roti.

7 Cook the roti for 2 minutes on each side until golden brown and a little charred in places. Once cooked, put it onto a flat surface. Using the palm of your hands scrunch the edges in much like clapping your hands with the bread in between. This will create the desired flakiness of the bread.