Roti Jala with Chicken Curry Sauce

Pound or blitz Shallots, Garlic, Ginger and the tender base of Lemongrass with a splash of water to a smooth, wet paste. You want no fibres left, or the curry will taste raw.

⚠ Tip: A blender needs a little water to move; add it a spoonful at a time so the paste stays thick, not soupy.

Peel Potatoes and cut into even chunks so they cook at the same rate as the chicken. Cut Chicken thighs into bite-sized chunks and leave them at room temperature while you start the curry.

Set a heavy pot over medium heat, add the 4 tbsp Neutral oil and let it shimmer. Tip in Cinnamon sticks, Cloves and Star anise and stir for 30 sec, then add Curry leaves and let it crackle and smell nutty.

⚠ Tip: Warm the spices, never scorch them; if the cloves smoke black the whole curry turns bitter.

Add rempah paste and fry it hard for 7 min, stirring so it never catches, until the raw smell is gone, the paste darkens and the oil separates and pools at the edges.

⚠ Tip: This is the step that makes or breaks the curry; when the oil splits out, the rempah is cooked through.

Stir in Curry powder and Chilli powder and toast for 1 min until the whole pot smells fragrant and the colour deepens to brick.

Pour in the 700 ml Coconut milk and scrape every bit of paste off the base. Bring it to a gentle bubble, then add Potatoes.

Simmer uncovered for 10 min, until a knife slides into the potato with no resistance. Stir now and then and keep the heat low so the coconut milk does not split.

Slide in the chicken and poach it at a bare simmer for 10 min, until it is cooked through and the curry has thickened enough to coat a spoon.

Stir in Tamarind paste, Sugar and Salt, then taste. It should be rich and gently spicy with a tangy edge and a whisper of sweetness. Keep warm over the lowest heat.

⚠ Tip: Coconut milk can taste flat after simmering; the tamarind and sugar bring it back to life.

Whisk Plain flour, Cornflour, Eggs, Coconut milk, 250 ml Water, Ground turmeric and Salt to a totally smooth batter with no lumps. Let it rest for 15 min.

⚠ Tip: It must be thinner than pancake batter; if it coats the whisk thickly, loosen it with another spoon of water or the net will not flow.

Ladle roti jala batter into a roti jala mould. Grease a flat griddle with a little Neutral oil over medium heat, then draw overlapping circles and zigzags, letting the five streams fall into a lace net. Cook for 45 sec, until the edges lift and turn pale gold.

⚠ Tip: A non-stick pan over steady medium heat, lightly greased each time. Too hot and the batter sets before it draws; too cool and the nets go limp and greasy.

Slide each net onto a plate while still warm and roll or fold it into a soft ribbon. Stack them under a clean cloth and keep going; the finished pile makes about twelve.

⚠ Tip: Fold while warm; a cooled net cracks instead of rolling.

Spoon the hot chicken curry sauce generously over the folded nets, or serve it in a bowl for dunking. Eat straight away, with extra sambal on the side for anyone who wants more heat.