Yield
Prep Time
mins
Cook Time
mins
Difficulty Level
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The Serangoon Garden Roti John was made famous in 1976 by food seller Mr Shukor, who used to sell it at the now-demolished Taman Serasi Food Centre. The business then moved to Serangoon Gardens and closed down in 2010. This recipe will show you how to make roti john inspired by the original. 

Ingredients

  • 50 ml tomato ketchup
  • 50 ml chilli sauce
  • 50 ml water
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 French loaf (200 g)
  • 2 tbsps sambal (chilli paste)
  • 1 (100 g) onion, chopped
  • 4 eggs, beaten
  • 200 g ground beef
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 2 green finger chillies, deseeded and sliced
  • 2 tbsps cooking oil
  • 4 slices (80 g) of cheddar cheese
01.

To prepare the dipping sauce, place the tomato ketchup, chilli sauce and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer for five minutes until the sauce thickens. 
Season with a pinch of salt. Remove from heat and set the dipping sauce aside.

02.

Halve the French loaf breadth-wise. Butterfly each piece of French loaf and set aside.

03.

In a clean mixing bowl, place the chilli paste and chopped onion. Add the eggs; mix well. Add the ground beef and salt; mix well. Add the sliced green chillies.

04.

In a clean flat pan, heat 2 tbsps of cooking oil. Over low heat, ladle half of the egg mixture into the pan. Allow the egg mixture to cook for a minute.

05.

Take one piece of French loaf and place it, skin side up, over the egg mixture. Use a frying slice or spatula to press the bread onto the egg mixture. Fry for one or two minutes until the omelette is cooked through.

06.

Turn the bread over. Place two slices of cheese on one side of the bread. Fold the bread over. Press down gently and fry each side for 30 secs.

07.

Remove from pan and slice into eight pieces.

08.

Serve with dipping sauce on the side.

ABOUT THE CHEF: Hedy Khoo is the columnist for The New Paper’s HED CHEF which features Asian cuisine and recipes. You can follow Hedy on her Instagram account @hedchefhedykhoo for more of her culinary adventures.

Recipe: Hedy Khoo / Photo: The New Paper

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