Roti John is a really Singaporean dish, you won’t find it anywhere else the world, I believe. Apparently, an Indian dreamt it up for a British man, and named it after him. Roti John is basically a sliced French baguette (or similar), smeared with a mixture of mutton or lamb, egg, onions and spices, then pan-fried. Filling and satisfying, this dish is incredibly cheap and easy to make. Great on a lazy day when you don’t feel like getting the regular takeaway food!

I couldn’t find any French baguettes at such short notice, so I just got some hot dog buns from the supermarket – good enough! You can basically use any spices you want, I just random threw in whatever I had on my spice rack that I thought would be good 😛 You also don’t have to measure the spices carefully – just sprinkle whatever looks about right! That’s precisely why it’s such an easy dish to make.. and really little cleaning up to do afterwards too.

All ready to be pan-fried

Roti John, served with cucumber, tomato and chilli/tomato sauce

Roti John (serves 2)

120g mince lamb or mutton
1/2 onion, sliced finely
1 clove garlic, mashed
2 tablespoons fresh coriander
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp netmug
salt/pepper
French baguette (or hot dog rolls)
3 eggs
SAUCE: sweet chilli & tomato sauce

1) Bake sliced bread for 4 mins at 180 celcius
2) Mix mince, onions, spices and 2 eggs in a bowl
3) Brush all bread with 1 beaten egg, spoon meat mixture on and press into bread
4) Pan-fry meat-side down until brown, then flip for a minute
5) Serve with sweet chill & tomato sauces mixed together, and cucumbers & tomatos on the side