Sugen Gopal reveals the recipes for Roti King classics in his new cookbook

Sugen Gopal was born and raised in Ipoh in Malaysia and grew up in the family restaurant. His hardworking restaurateur parents owned a roadside café that became so popular it was forced to close when the traffic it attracted became unmanageable. However, the popularity of their food meant the family soon had a new site, where guests could continue to enjoy dishes including his grandmother’s fish-head curry.

It seems Gopal inherited his parents’ knack for incredible flavours and hospitality, because fast-forward to 2014 in London and the queues for Roti King have turned his own restaurant brand into a cult favourite.

Eleven years and eight sites later, and the queues for Gopal’s “flaky, buttery, insanely delicious flatbreads” are still going strong. Every day Roti King makes 5,000 of the coveted roti that The Guardian food critic Marina O’Loughlin told the world about in her glittering review a decade ago.

And now, in his brand-new cookbook, Gopal is sharing his secrets to the perfect Malaysian flatbread along with other Roti King classics, including nasi lemak (coconut rice with spicy sambal), gulai tumis (tamarind fish kari) and kari ayam (chicken curry).

The book act as an impressive introduction to Malaysian cooking, with recipes for noodles, chutneys and soups. Pisang goreng (battered plantain) offers readers a chance to replicate the sweet snacks typical of Malaysian night markets, while one of Gopal’s favourite dishes to make for family and guests at home is Chinese-Malaysian aromatic crab, which is cooked in the air fryer with an accompanying pan-fried sauce made from sambal, caramel, curry powder, chilli, lemongrass, garlic and dried shrimp.

Gopal even shares his grandmother’s original recipe for the famous fish-head curry, which does not grace the menus of Roti King but is clearly an origin dish to this restaurant, which has taken the London curry scene by storm.

As a huge Roti King fan myself, I was initially a little disappointed to see my favourite order not featured in the book. The hour away from my desk enjoying a buttery roti canai dipped into a warming, soupy bowl of mutton curry turned what was a semi-religious experience into a monthly ritual and means I can never order anything else but that comforting lunch.

So I think I’ll happily leave this one to the experts and try some of the many other dishes in my own kitchen at home.

Roti King by Sugen Gopal (Quadrille, £18.99). Published 24 April 2025

Cook the beetroot stir-fry with coconut and peanuts from the book