COCONUTS HOT SPOTS — Thai-muslim food has always been a delicacy for local foodies due to its flavorful ingredients regardless of their religion, especially rotis and murtabak, flour-based treats that anyone can enjoy.
Shabeebee Roti-Cha is a relatively new halal restaurant in the Siam Square area. The manager Niruj “Bird” Ruenpitak said that the restaurant serves special halal recipes that have been passed down through generations of the owner’s Thai-muslim family. Together the two owners developed other recipes and started the stand-alone restaurant.
“We spent three months testing the recipes. We’ve tried hundreds of roti doughs and countless teas before we found the right ones,” Niruj recalled.
Each item comes with variations, creating endless possible combinations. For roti alone, you can choose plain, whole wheat, matcha, charcoal, or pandan flatbread. For murtabak, you can pair it with a variety of curry, green, red or massaman, or korma soup. Side dishes include fried chicken, fried beef, satay, and Indian salad.
“The dough used for murtabak is lighter because we add flavorful fillings. The dough for roti is sweet and savory,” Niruj explained.
Baked naan
I tried something a little different and ordered baked naan (THB130) with a pot of rich chicken massaman and a thin naan flatbread. The naan flatbread is a mixture of roti and bread dough. The right way to enjoy this dish is to tear off a mouthful of naan, dip it in the massaman soup, and eat it with chicken meat to taste the strong spices, mild coconut milk, chicken and dough in one bite.
Roti with beef and green curry
Roti with beef and green curry (THB125) is not for those with a sweet tooth. Unlike most fatty, sweet green curries you find elsewhere, Shabeebee’s green curry is savory and rich with aromatic herbs. The tender beef in the curry goes well with the roti dough.
sweet murtabak
For dessert, I tried sweet murtabak (THB50). The filling is made of jackfruit, raisin, banana and squash in syrup as well as dried persimmon.
“We slightly fry the murtabak and then bake it, so it’s not as greasy. We mix ghee with the five-ingredient fillings and bake it in a covered pan. It comes out like a pastry.”
The signature drink is shabeebee or iced milk Indian tea (THB20). The tea is served separately with frozen tea cubes. Pour the tea over the ice cubes, and you’ll get an iced milk tea. These frozen tea cubes maintain the flavor of the beverage.
The manager assured me that every dish at Shabeebee Roti-Cha is halal since the ingredient suppliers and chefs are all Muslim. Soups and doughs are homemade with no preservatives.
FIND IT:
Shabeebee Roti-Cha
10:30am – 9pm
Chulalongkorn Soi 12
BTS National Stadium
This story was originally published on Coconuts Krungthep.
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