Roti John

It's easy if you know how. Roti John is a colonial-era dish created by Malay/Indian food store owners catering to European tastes. Essentially, Roti John (so named because it was made using "European" bread, and all European white men inevitably were named "John") is a savoury French Toast. It's usually made using a baguette, but I find that sliced white bread also serves as well. You can make the meat mixture ahead of time and leave it in the fridge for up to a week; the egg can easily make 3-4 slices of roti john.

Roti John
The Dry Stuff:
1 pound of beef/mutton/chicken mince, browned with butter
1 small red onion, sliced
1 red chilli, sliced
1/2 tsp cumin
Dash of pepper

The Wet stuff:
1 egg


The Base:
Bread. A baguette sliced lengthwise, if you're a purist, otherwise, sliced white bread will work just as well.

1. Combine the dry stuff and scoop a tablespoon per serving onto a shallow dish. Cover the leftovers with cling wrap and leave in the fridge.
2. Mix beaten egg and dry stuff on a shallow dish. Place bread on top of mixture and press down to let bread absorb as much of the egg mixture as possible.
3. Head a flat pan with a little oil or butter. Place bread, wet side down for two minutes or until egg is cooked.
4. Repeat until you run out of egg mixture!

Tags: roti john bread fried savoury budget recipe