What Is Roti Paratha? Everything You Need to Know
If you've walked past Kafe Kooks and wondered what the fuss is about, it starts here. With roti paratha.
Not bread. Not a wrap. Not a side dish.
Roti paratha is a hand-stretched, layered flatbread cooked fresh on a hot griddle. When it's made properly — and we'd argue ours is — you get crispy, golden edges, a soft pillowy centre, and visible flaky layers that come from the dough being stretched thin, folded, and cooked to order.
It's buttery. It's chewy. It's crispy. All at the same time.
Where does roti paratha come from?
Roti paratha has roots in South Asia but became one of Southeast Asia's most beloved street foods through Indian Muslim communities in Malaysia. In Malaysian hawker markets, it's eaten morning, noon and night — with curry, with condensed milk, with eggs, with sambal. There are no rules.
Over time it crossed borders, picked up local flavours, and became a staple across Singapore, Thailand, and beyond. Today it's eaten all over the world. Including right here in Ultimo.
How is it different from other roti?
There are many types of roti dishes — roti canai, roti prata, roti jala, chapati. They share a name but they're quite different things.
Roti paratha specifically is known for its laminated, layered texture. The dough is stretched and folded repeatedly (a technique that takes real skill) before being cooked on a flat iron griddle. That process is what creates those distinctive flaky layers.
Our roti master Suresh makes every single piece of roti fresh at Kafe Kooks. You'll often see him working the dough at the counter — it's worth watching.
How do we serve it at Kafe Kooks?
This is where we flip the script.
Most places treat roti as a side — something to dip, something to mop up sauce. At Kafe Kooks, roti paratha is the star of every single dish on the menu. We built the whole café around it.
Some of our most popular roti dishes:
Breakfast Roti Paratha — served with Pepe Saya butter and your choice of condiments. Simple. Perfect.
Dippy Eggs — very soft boiled eggs with soy sauce and roti soldiers for dipping. One of those dishes people come back for weekly.
Sarang Burung — a Penang street food classic. A roti ring cooked around two fried eggs, topped with house-made sambal. It means "bird's nest" in Malay.
Avocado Roti Coin — our take on the great Australian café staple, served on a roti coin instead of toast. Yes, it's better.
Curry Range — beef rendang, butter chicken, tangy fish, and more. All served with freshly cooked roti paratha. Any time of day.
Roti Wraps — Korean fried chicken, butter chicken, beef rendang — all wrapped in fresh roti instead of a tortilla. Once you've tried it, you won't go back.
Want to make roti yourself?
We run Roti Masterclasses every Thursday evening from 6pm. You'll learn to stretch and flip roti paratha with Suresh, cook your own, and eat it fresh. It's one of those experiences that sounds like a cooking class but feels more like a great night out.
Bookings at kafekooks.com.au/roti-masterclass.
Come try it
Kafe Kooks is at 63 Mountain Street, Ultimo — a short walk from UTS, Broadway Shopping Centre, and Central Park. We're open 7 days from 6am. Walk-ins always welcome, bookings available online.
Any time is roti time.