SERI MANJUNG - He is only 10 years old but his effortless way of making ‘flying roti canai’ never fails to captivate customers who stop to have breakfast at his father’s stall at Jeti Persatuan Nelayan in Kampung Permatang, Seri Manjung, Perak.
Not only is he skilled at stretching out the kneaded roti canai dough, but can also spin it in the air with just one hand, an impressive feat for someone his age.
Adli Nur Iman Ahmad, or ‘Adik Terbang’ as the locals fondly call him, dons a tanjak (traditional Malay headgear) for his "performance”, sometimes partnering with his father Ahmad Jusuf, 47, who would toss the flattened dough into the air while Adli skillfully catches it with his hands.
The Year Four pupil of Sekolah Kebangsaan Seri Manjung said he became interested in the ‘flying roti canai’ two years ago after watching a worker at his father’s stall performing the "stunt”.
"So, I decided to learn the ‘flying roti canai’ technique. First I learned the technique of spreading out the roti canai dough from my father for two months. I also practiced at home using a cloth shaped like roti canai dough whenever I had the time," he told Bernama.
Adli Nur Iman said after mastering the basic technique, he learned the art of tossing the dough from his father's employee, known as Abang Rafi.
"With him (Abang Rafi), I trained for two months. After that, I was able to control my arm movements correctly while flipping. For this, the basic principle remains the same: our wrists must be in sync with the roti canai dough we are holding,” he said.
According to Adli Nur Iman, the hardest for him to learn was not tossing the flattened dough into the air and catching it but the technique of spreading out the dough nicely and maintaining its round shape.
Joining his father at his stall during the weekends and school holidays, the boy helps to prepare about 120 pieces of roti canai between 8 am and 10 am, interspersed with his ‘flying roti canai’ performances.
His father Ahmad, meanwhile, said he never forced Adli, the youngest among his three children, to learn to make ‘flying roti canai’.
"When Adli told me he was amazed watching my employee (Abang Rafi) make ‘flying roti canai’, he said he wanted to learn to do it too. I didn't stop him; instead, I asked my worker to teach my son the technique.
"For two months, he diligently practiced until he could skillfully control the roti canai dough, spinning it in the air with just one hand," he said.
Ahmad said he even took his son to other stalls throughout the country specialising in ‘flying roti canai’.
"We went to Perlis, Kedah, Melaka, Kelantan and anywhere else known for ‘flying roti canai’ so Adli could witness the skill firsthand and keep his enthusiasm burning," he said.
"I also showed him various videos posted by the ‘flying roti canai’ community to help him improve his skills.”
He also said when Adli first started learning to flip roti canai dough, many funny incidents occurred.
"Once, the dough fell on the floor and another time, it got stuck in the fan. There was also an incident where the dough landed on a customer's head! Adli repeatedly apologised to the customer concerned,” he said, adding his son sometimes receives requests to perform his ‘flying roti canai’ act not only in Seri Manjung but also in Ipoh and other places. - BERNAMA