Roti John

Yay~ Today is my first proper day of vacation! I had my very last lecture ever as an undergraduate on Monday, and on Tuesday (yesterday), I had to do a presentation on my final year practical project. I was really not looking forward to that, but surprisingly, it went really well! Even my supervisor who is usually very particular about things said it was really good. That was a pleasant surprise. So woohoo!

Anyway. I actually wanted to make buttermilk buns today. I even went out and bought the flour yesterday. But! I forgot to get skimmed milk powder, which was part of the ingredient list. I don't even know whether they sell it or not. I guess they should. But anyway. I really wanted to make something nice today, so I decided to make ... Roti John!


This is another one of my favorites from Brunei, and I'm quite surprised that I haven't featured it here yet. So here we go!

What you need:
Minced chicken
Shallots, chopped finely - about the same size pieces as the chicken

Eggs, beaten

Salt, for seasoning
White pepper, for seasoning
Oil, for frying

Slicced hotdog/sausage buns, burger buns, or sandwich buns - I used sandwich buns, which are quite similar to burger buns, only smaller.

What you do:

1. Season the minced chicken with salt and pepper.
2. Heat up some oil in a wok or frying pan. Add the shallots, fry until fragrant and slightly softened. Add the chicken, and fry until cooked through. Set the chicken and shallot mixture aside.
3. Season the beaten egg with more salt and pepper, and add some of the chicken mixture. You want the mixture to be a lot of chicken, with just enoguh egg to hold it together when it cooks.
   
4. Add some more oil to the pan (unless you're using a non-stick one). Wait for it to heat up, then carefully spoon some of the chicken mixture into the pan, in the shape of the bread that you are using. (like, round if you're using burger buns, and longish, if you're using sausage buns). Immediately press the bread onto the egg.
5. Press the bread down occasionally while frying to flatten it. Fry the Roti John until the egg is as cooked as you like it. If you like it crisper, bake in an oven (we used a toaster oven) for about 5 minutes or so.

And Ta-dah~

Why is it called Roti John anyway? But anyway, I don't really like eating Roti John that you can buy from all those gerais (stalls) because they usually add a lot of mayo, and veggies sometimes. Not my taste. But the first time Ibu made this at home, I really liked it! Hehe. I've made it once in awhile, but its usually not as nice, for some reason. But, my Roti John this time went surprisingly well!

Maybe that was because of the bun I used. I usually find sausage or burger buns a bit too dry, but this sandwich bun was nice and soft and fluffy. The chicken and egg was also yummy. I like my Roti John straight from the pan, all warm and fluffy. Some people, like Hadi, like it crispy, so they prefer to bake it for a bit. It does get nice and crispy, but sometimes, its too dry for me.

I made this with a wok (flat-bottomed) but in some parts, it was a bit awkward to get to the bread. So ideally, you would make this in a large frying pan, or even one of those flat ... metal things that you put over the stove. I don't know what you call it, haha. I think Ibu uses that? Or I could be mistaken, hmmm....

Anyway. Hadi and Justin are going through "grading" for tae kwon do tonight, where they have a chance to get raised to another belt level. So good luck to them!

Quote of the day: The wonderful world of home appliances now makes it possible to cook indoors with charcoal and outdoors with gas.