Roti john is what happens when a French loaf falls into the hands of a Singapore hawker. A baguette is split lengthwise, and the cut side is pressed down onto a griddle where a mixture of beaten egg, minced mutton or beef, onion and spices is already sizzling. The egg sets into the bread and welds itself on, so each half comes up with a golden, savory omelette fused to its face. Turned over to crisp the crust, it is cut into thick fingers and striped generously with chili sauce, ketchup and mayonnaise.

Roti is the word for bread across Malaysia, Singapore and much of South Asia. The John, according to the story most often told, was an English customer who asked a Malay stallholder in 1960s or 1970s Singapore for something like a hamburger and received this instead; John was a catch all name for a Westerner whose real name nobody knew. Whatever its exact birthday, the sandwich is now a fixture of hawker centres across Singapore, and a favorite in Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia too, and an honorary member of the street food grid.

It is cheap, fast and built to be eaten standing up, with sauce on your fingers. On a race weekend, it is the sandwich for the grandstand.

The spiced mutton

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) neutral oil
• 1 large onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 8 oz (225 g) minced mutton or lamb
• 2 teaspoons meat curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Egg and bread

Ingredients

• 6 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) sambal or chili paste
• 1 pinch fine salt
• 2 soft crusted baguettes
• 4 tablespoons (60 ml) neutral oil

Sauces and serving

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup (60 ml) chili sauce
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) ketchup
• 1/4 cup (60 g) mayonnaise
• 1 small cucumber
• a few lettuce leaves

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