Malay heritage snack Roti Boyan still popular and easy to make
You may have spotted this popular heritage snack at Malay food stalls around Singapore.
Called Roti Boyan (Bawean), they are either shaped into round or square pastries and deep fried till golden brown. The modern version even looks a bit like a large curry puff. The filling is made of potatoes, onions, celery, spring onions, pepper, salt and egg mixed well together.
This popular snack with flaky pastry is also part of Singapore’s diverse Malay food heritage.
Speaking with Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore, Faizal Wahyuni, President of the Baweanese Association of Singapore, explained the origins of this snack.
“I asked around older members of the association, and what we gather is that it’s been around since the 1950s,” he said.
It was mostly consumed by the Baweanese community. The Baweanese first arrived in Singapore in the early 19th Century from Pulau Bawean, a small island off the north-eastern coast of Java. Until the 1980s they lived in “pondoks” – large communal houses that accommodated as many as 40 families.
Hence, Roti Boyan used to be much bigger in size in the old days, as it was meant to be shared among four to five people, and either consumed on its own or with sambal.
Faizal said that in those days, the snack was also more flavourful with more spices and herbs than now.
Roti Boyan used to be a must-have late-afternoon teatime snack because people finished work earlier then and were home by 5pm.
“It was a nice afternoon snack with teh-O after a day’s work as a chauffeur or gardener – there were quite a number in the community who worked in these jobs,” Faizal said.
Even if this is not a tradition anymore, Roti Boyan is still easily available. “It used to be made by people at home, but now you can buy it quite readily, even frozen from the supermarket. Normally when we have functions we try to serve it,” He said.
They also serve Roti Boyan at communal events for the association because it is the easiest thing to prepare.
Recently, volunteers from the association presented a Roti Boyan cooking demo as part of Malay Heritage Centre’s Pesta Pusaka & Seni. This is part of the centre’s programming to showcase the intangible heritage of the different Malay sub-ethnic communities in Singapore.
Faizal personally likes this dish a lot, the main appeal for him being the sambal. “The sambal must be superb, then the dish is good. Similar to nasi lemak, sambal is the killer,” he said.
