Why a prata?

If you’ve ever queued at a prata stall, you’ve seen the show. The prata man slaps a ball of dough onto an oiled table, then spins and stretches it until it goes paper thin, four to five times its first size. Then he folds it and drops it onto the hot griddle. Kids stop and stare. So do I.

That flip is the whole idea behind this game. You tap, the prata flies up. You stop tapping, it drops. Your job is to keep it in the air and through the gaps in the stacks of teh cups, the way a good prata man keeps the dough moving and never lets it tear.

A bit of real prata history

Roti prata is a flatbread of Indian origin. “Roti” comes from the Hindi word for bread, and “paratha” means flat. The Singapore version is believed to have grown out of the kitchens of Indian migrants to the Malay Peninsula, and today you’ll find it at coffee shops and hawker centres across the island.

The dough is plain flour, water, salt and ghee or margarine, kneaded and then left to rest for hours, often overnight. The hard part is the stretch and flip. Singapore’s heritage records call it the most difficult step, and one veteran prata maker says it can take up to six months to learn properly.

In October 2019, Singapore added roti prata to its inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage. A flatbread you can buy for a dollar or two sits on the same list as the country’s festivals and crafts. I like that a lot.

The prata ladder

Every stack of cups you pass scores a point, and your score earns your prata a name. If you grew up eating these, you’ll know the menu:

• Prata Kosong: plain. “Kosong” is Malay for empty. Everyone starts here.
• Prata Telur: with egg, at 5 stacks. Watch the prata get an egg yolk.
• Prata Bawang: with onion, at 10 stacks.
• Cheese Prata: at 20 stacks.
• Prata Plaster: a fried egg on top, at 30 stacks.
• Tissue Prata: the tall, thin, crispy one, at 50 stacks. Get here and you’ve earned it.

The prata also turns more golden the higher you go. By 50 stacks it’s properly crisp.

How to play

• Tap the screen, click, or press Space to flip the prata upward.
• Let go and gravity takes over.
• Fly through the gap in each stack of teh cups. Touch a cup or the counter and your prata lands.
• The stall speeds up and the gaps narrow a little as your score climbs.
• Your best score saves on this device, so you can try to beat it tomorrow.
• Sound is on to start. Tap 🔊 to mute, or 🎵 for music.

Tips from the counter

Tap short and steady. One tap gives the prata a fixed little hop. Panic-tapping sends it straight into the top stack. A calm rhythm of single taps works better than bursts.

Hover just below the middle of the gap. Each tap lifts the prata about two cups high. Sitting a little low gives you room to hop up without hitting the top stack.

Look ahead. Watch the next gap, not the prata. By the time you’re inside a stack, it’s too late to change height.

Expect the speed-up. Around 20 stacks the stall moves noticeably faster. Ease off your tapping a touch so you don’t overshoot.

Your turn

The griddle’s hot at the top of this page. Flip your first prata, and see if you can make it all the way to Tissue.