Roti John

May 20, 2015

The last recipe in the Asian series is Roti John. After much research, thinking and disregarding obvious choices - noodles, fried rice etc. I picked this street food from Singapore for two reasons. First that it has an Indian connection and second its something new for a lot of you out there. I mean I didn’t know about it before I started looking for a Singaporean recipe to make.

This recipe is similar to a recipe that is common in every household in India - its our own version of french toast. Yes, french toast in India is made savory and I mean with spices, green chili, cilantro and onions. Here is a funny story - when I moved to the States for the first time - I pretty much knew what was what in food except for bagels and that french toast were not savory. So in my school cafeteria once I picked up a bagel thinking it was a donut and once I picked up a french toast and poured shit loads of ketchup on it without tasting. And let me tell you, if you haven’t tried…cinnamon and ketchup DO NOT pair well. When I took my first bite I tasted the odd combination and thought to myself - who puts cinnamon in a french toast?!?! Oh well, I figured it out soon enough that I am supposed to pour syrup and not ketchup on the french toast.

But this recipe is closer to the Indian version of french toast. You use a baguette instead of a bread and flavor the egg mixture with curry power. This dish is mostly made with some kind of a meat but of course my version is vegetarian. I used finely diced up veggies like onions, bell peppers and mushrooms…but feel free to throw in your favorite veggie in the medley. It is a lot like a sandwich so its great to pack for picnics or to take to a barbecue party and not to mention it makes for a great lunch or breakfast.

For those who are interested in the upcoming workshop in France on yoga and healthy Indian cooking made easy (V+GF) you can find all the details on the following link http://www.littlefrenchretreat.com/?events=yoga-vegetarian-indian-cookery-workshop-with-veggie-zest The deadline to register for it is June 15, 2015. Please share the information with family and friends who you think might be interested in it. Thanks!

Serving 2 medium size baguettes

Cooking time 20 minutes

Ingredients

4 eggs

2 medium size baguettes

4 to 5 button mushrooms, diced into small chunks

1 onion, diced into small chunks

1 onion thinly sliced

1/4 of bell pepper, diced into small chunks

1/4 bell pepper thinly sliced

3 tsp curry powder

1 tbsp cilantro, chopped + few extra fresh sprig

2 tbsp mayonnaise

a few squirts of sriracha or any other hot sauce

1 cucumber , thinly sliced

2 tbsp olive oil

In a skillet heat a tbsp of oil. Add the chopped up onions, belle pepper and mushrooms. Stir with a sprinkle of salt and saute till the veggies become soft.
Turn the heat to low and add the curry powder. Cook on low till the mixture becomes fragrant - for about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Mix in the chopped cilantro.
Slit open the baguettes from the center while still keeping them attached from the back and keep aside.
Once the veggie mixture is cooled..add eggs in it and mix to combine well.
In a non stick pan heat 2 tsp of oil on medium low. Pour the egg mixture in a linear direction. Once the mixtures starts cooking on the edges place the baguette facing don on the mixture.
Press the baguette lightly on the mixture so that the bread soaks up all the egg. Cook for a minutes and then flip the baguette and cook for a few seconds. If you feel that the egg is not cooked through - just flip the baguette back and cook till its done.
Remove from the an and place on a cutting board.
Mix the mayo and sriracha and smear it generously on the baguette.
Place slice cucumbers one side of the baguette followed by slices of bell pepper, onions and a few sprigs of cilantro. You can squirt some more sriracha if you wish. Close the sandwich and slice into 4 pieces. Serve immediately.