Roti John

Name: Roti John
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: Simple Sambal:; 10 g Dried Chilies,; 10 g Shallots Coarsely Chopped,; 1/2 Red Onion Coarsely Chopped,; 3 Cloves Garlic,; 1/2 Inch Ginger,; 1 Candle Nut / Macadamia Nut,; 1 TBSP Belachan,; 1 TBSP Tamarind Paste,; Pinch Sea Salt,; Palm Sugar, 1 TBSP Adjust To Preference; BBQ Sambal Sauce:; 1 Green Bell Pepper,; 2 TBSP Canola / Peanut / Vegetable Oil,; 1/2 Red Onion Sliced,; Celery Coarsely Sliced, 2 Ribs; 3 Cloves Garlic Coarsely Sliced,; 1/8 Cup Palm Sugar,; 1 Bay Leaf,; 1 TBSP Dijion Mustard,; Simple Sambal, 2 TBSP Adjust To Preference; 1.5 Cup Tomato Ketchup,; 1 TSP Worcestershire Sauce,; 1/8 Cup Pure Honey,; 1/8 Cup Balsamic Vinegar,; Kashmiri Chili Powder, 1/2 TSP Adjust To Preference; Roti John:; 300 g Chicken Thigh Ground,; 3 Eggs,; 1 TSP Madras Curry Powder,

Daniel Lim @fatdoughsg

Singapore

This is an iconic street food in Singapore. It is a very simple omelette baguette sandwich. It all started in the 60s when there are still British soldiers in Singapore. They would visit this Union Jack Club in North Bridge Road just behind Capitol Cinema. Almost every one of them will pick up this omelette baguette sandwich from this Malay stall. It is like their supper or snack before or after a few drinks. So much so that when the owner, Abdul, whenever he saw a British guy, he would ask, "Roti (bread in the Malay language) John (which is a very common British soldier's name)?" So that's how a question became the name of this sandwich.

It is traditionally just plain eggs omelette baguette sandwich. Even the baguette they used is those similar to the Vietnamese's Banh Mi. Over the years and generations, Roti John had been handcrafted to suit the modernized tastebuds. The most famous version is the one with ground chicken and smeared with mayo, BBQ and chili sauce. I decided to make my own spicy BBQ sauce. I made a tomato ketchup based BBQ sauce with simple sambal, then mixed with Kewpie mayo. Everything tastes better with Kewpie.

This sandwich is usually served sliced into bite-size pieces. But who eats a sandwich with a fork and knife? In closing, I hope you will give this iconic street food a try and have a bite of Singapore's heritage.

Daniel Lim @fatdoughsg

Saved

Ingredients

Simple Sambal:
10 gDried Chilies,
10 gShallots Coarsely Chopped,
1/2Red Onion Coarsely Chopped,
3 ClovesGarlic,
1/2 InchGinger,
1Candle Nut / Macadamia Nut,
1 TBSPBelachan,
1 TBSPTamarind Paste,
PinchSea Salt,
Palm Sugar, 1 TBSP Adjust To Preference
BBQ Sambal Sauce:
1Green Bell Pepper,
2 TBSPCanola / Peanut / Vegetable Oil,
1/2Red Onion Sliced,
Celery Coarsely Sliced, 2 Ribs
3 ClovesGarlic Coarsely Sliced,
1/8 CupPalm Sugar,
1Bay Leaf,
1 TBSPDijion Mustard,
Simple Sambal, 2 TBSP Adjust To Preference
1.5 CupTomato Ketchup,
1 TSPWorcestershire Sauce,
1/8 CupPure Honey,
1/8 CupBalsamic Vinegar,
Kashmiri Chili Powder, 1/2 TSP Adjust To Preference
Roti John:
300 gChicken Thigh Ground,
3Eggs,
1 TSPMadras Curry Powder,
Sambal, 1 TBSP Adjust To Preference
PinchSea Salt,
PinchWhite Pepper,
Canola / Peanut / Vegetable Oil, For Toasting
2Good Quality Baguette,
Kewpie Mayo, For Spreading

Saved

Steps

1

Pls visit: https://www.fatdough.sg/post/madras-curry-powder for the Madras curry powder.
2

Prepare sambal.
Soak dried chilies in a bowl of hot water until softened.
Deseed the chilies. You can leave the seeds on to your preference.
Transfer into a blender.
3

Add in shallots, onion, garlic, ginger and candle nut.
Blitz until smooth paste forms.
In a skillet over medium heat, add belachan.
Break it into pieces.
4

Toast until aromatic.
Add in the chili paste.
*You can add about 1/2 cup of water into the blender and blitz up all the leftover nooks and crannies. Add into the skillet.*
5

Stir to combine well.
Add in tamarind. Season with salt and sugar.
Stir to combine well.
Keep stirring and cooking until most of the liquid has evaporated and the color has darkened.
6

Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and sugar.
Remove from heat and set aside.
Prepare sambal BBQ sauce.
7

Preheat oven to broil.
Cut the bell pepper into quarters.
Transfer into a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
Wack into the oven and bake until charred.
Remove from oven and transfer into a bowl.
8

Cover with cling film and set aside to cool.
Once cooled enuff to handle, peel and discard the charred skin.
Coarsely slice and set aside.
In a skillet over medium heat, add oil.
9

Once oil is heated up, add onion and garlic.
Sauce until translucent.
Add in the roasted bell pepper, garlic and sugar.
Sauce until well combined.
10

Transfer into a blender.
*Be careful as it is extremely hot.*
Blitz until smooth paste forms.
Transfer back into the skillet over medium heat.
11

Add in bay leaf, mustard, sambal, ketchup, Worcestershire, honey, vinegar and chili powder.
Stir to combine well.
Bring it up to a slow simmer.
Turn the heat down to low.
Cover and simmer for 15 mins.
12

After 15 mins, the sauce should be reduced slightly and most of the liquid has evaporated.
Taste and adjust for seasonings with salt, sugar or sambal.
Remove from heat and set aside until ready to use.
*It can be kept in the fridge for 7 days.*
13

Prepare the Roti John.
In a bowl, add chicken, eggs, curry powder, sambal, salt and pepper.
Stir to combine well.
Slice baguette into halves.
14

Slice lengthwise into halves, but not all the way thru.
In a cast iron skillet over medium-low heat, add oil.
Once oil is heated up, add in the egg mixture.
Try to form the egg mixture into the size of your baguette.
15

Place the baguette onto the egg mixture.
Press the baguette to adhere to the egg mixture.
Cook until brown.
Flip and toast the baguette.
16

Repeat the steps for the remaining baguette.
In a bowl, add 1 TBSP of the sambal BBQ sauce and 1 TBSP of Kewpie mayo.
Mix to combine well.
17

Spread that mayo sambal BBQ sauce onto the baguette.
Close and sandwich.
Serve immediately.