Thai Cotton Candy Roti (Roti Sai Mai)
Paper-thin, milky-sweet roti wrapped around clouds of hand-pulled spun sugar — a beloved Thai street dessert where every bite is soft, chewy and melts into pure sugar silk.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Make the dough
In a bowl, mix the flour, sugar and salt, then stir in the condensed milk and water. Knead by hand for 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic, cover, and let it rest.
- 250 g flour
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 60 ml condensed milk
- 150 ml water
✅ Done when: the dough is smooth, elastic and no longer sticky to the touch
Stretch and cook the wrappers
Divide the dough into 16–20 small balls, coat each one lightly with oil, and let them rest again so the gluten relaxes. On an oiled work surface, stretch each ball with your fingertips into an almost see-through round about 15 cm wide, then cook it on a dry non-stick pan over medium-low heat, about 160°C (320°F), for 20–30 seconds per side, just until it turns opaque — it should stay soft like a thin pancake, not browned or crisp.
- 30 ml vegetable oil
✅ Done when: each wrapper turns from see-through to a soft, matte, pliable sheet with no browning
Cook the sugar to hard-crack
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Pull the sugar into threads
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Gather the sugar threads
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Fill and roll the roti
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Make the dough
In a bowl, mix the flour, sugar and salt, then stir in the condensed milk and water. Knead by hand for 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic, cover, and let it rest.
- 250 g flour
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 60 ml condensed milk
- 150 ml water
✅ Done when: the dough is smooth, elastic and no longer sticky to the touch
Stretch and cook the wrappers
Divide the dough into 16–20 small balls, coat each one lightly with oil, and let them rest again so the gluten relaxes. On an oiled work surface, stretch each ball with your fingertips into an almost see-through round about 15 cm wide, then cook it on a dry non-stick pan over medium-low heat, about 160°C (320°F), for 20–30 seconds per side, just until it turns opaque — it should stay soft like a thin pancake, not browned or crisp.
- 30 ml vegetable oil
✅ Done when: each wrapper turns from see-through to a soft, matte, pliable sheet with no browning
Cook the sugar to hard-crack
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Pull the sugar into threads
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Gather the sugar threads
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Fill and roll the roti
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The Story Behind the Dish
Roti sai mai pairs two separate culinary skills: the thin, griddle-cooked roti common across South and Southeast Asia, and the art of hand-pulled spun sugar, which take practice to master. Vendors cook the soft wrappers fresh and keep the sugar threads ready nearby, assembling each roll only when a customer orders it so the sugar stays light and silky.
Over time the treat became a signature souvenir of its home region, with sellers often offering the spun sugar in multiple colors to make trays look festive. It later spread to Bangkok's markets and stations, where travelers picked it up as an easy, pretty snack to take home.
⭐ Why It's Famous
It is loved for its playful contrast of textures: a soft, milky-sweet wrapper giving way to a cloud of sugar that dissolves almost instantly on the tongue, plus the visual charm of watching vendors pull and twist the sugar by hand.
💡 Fun Fact
The name sai mai literally means "cotton thread" in Thai, describing the fine, hair-like strands the sugar is pulled into before it is wrapped up.
Thailand, with the dessert especially linked to the southern province of Pattani and its Thai-Malay communities, though it is now sold across the country.
6.87°N, 101.25°E
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