A recipe for Roti John (Omelette Sandwich)! This sandwich is packed with a seasoned beef and egg omelet and desired toppings.
I first came across the inspiration for this Roti John recipe over on Lisa’s Lemony Kitchen and loved the combination of flavors and how easily everything comes together.
According to Singaporean Malaysian Recipes and other stories online, Roti John was developed in the 1960s when an Englishman asked a food stall vendor named Shukor in Singapore for a hamburger.
Based on his description, the vendor created an egg and onion omelette sandwich with a side of ketchup. It is now enjoyed for breakfast or as a snack in Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
For this version, ground meat (I went with ground beef) is cooked with onion, garlic, and Malaysian curry powder. After cooling slightly, it is combined with beaten eggs.
Individual portions of the egg meat mixture are pan-fried until set with a hot dog bun on top, then served immediately with desired toppings.
A Few Tips
I paired the Roti John with tomato slices, lettuce, cucumber, sriracha, and mayonnaise. Other options include ketchup, cheese, and other types of meat.
Chicken, mutton/and or sardines are often used instead of ground beef. The onion can be swapped for red onion.
For even more spice, add a finely chopped green or red chili pepper to the onions as they cook.
I used hot dog buns as the base for the sandwiches. If using mini baguettes, cut the bread horizontally to open. Don’t cut all the way through. Keep one side attached.
Adjust the curry powder, salt, and pepper to taste.
Allow the cooked ground beef to cool slightly before mixing with the eggs.
Pour in the beef and egg mixture slightly larger than the open hot dog bun in a thin, even layer. I poured a 1/3 cup (80 milliliter) ladleful for each sandwich.
If the egg mixture is starting to fall apart when you try to flip, let it cook for another minute or so to set further.
Notable Ingredients
Use Malaysian curry powder if it is available. For those in Northern Virginia, I was able to find Malaysian curry powder in the Southeast Asian spice aisle in Lotte Plaza Market.
My store-bought version had a combination of coriander, chilli, fennel, cumin, turmeric, white pepper, aniseed, cinnamon, and clove.
Looking for more sandwiches?
Try my:
- Katsu Sando (Japanese Pork Cutlet Sandwich)
- Croissant Breakfast Sandwich
- Zapiekanka (Polish Toasted Mushroom and Cheese Bread)
This recipe was originally posted in January 2015 and updated in January 2023.
Roti John (Omelette Sandwich) Recipe
Adapted from Lisa’s Lemony Kitchen
Roti John (Omelette Sandwich)
Ingredients
- 6 hot dog buns or mini baguettes
- 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) vegetable oil plus more as needed
- 1 medium onion peeled and finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves peeled and minced
- 1 pound (450 grams) ground beef
- 2 green onions thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon (8 grams) Malaysian curry powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 6 large eggs
For Topping:
- Tomato slices
- Cucumber slices
- Lettuce
- Sriracha
- Mayonnaise
Instructions
- Place a large pan over medium heat.
- Open the hot dog buns, taking care not to separate the two halves completely, and toast until golden. Set the hot dog buns aside.
- Drizzle the oil in the pan. Once heated, add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and starting to turn golden.
- Stir in the garlic and cook until just fragrant, then add the ground beef.
- Cook stirring often and breaking up the pieces until browned.
- Season the ground beef with the curry powder, salt, and pepper.
- Adjust seasonings to taste. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.
- Place the eggs in a large bowl and beat gently.
- Add the slightly cooled ground beef mixture to the eggs and stir to combine.
- Place the large pan over medium low heat and grease with oil.
- Add about 1/6th of the egg and beef mixture to the pan in a thin, even layer slightly larger than the size of the opened hot dog. This is about 1/3 cup (80 milliliters) for me.
- Place the hot dog bun over the egg mixture in the pan, open side down, and cook until golden and set.
- Use a spatula to carefully, but quickly in one motion, remove the hot dog bun with the egg side up to a plate.
- If desired, you can also toast the bread side of the sandwich.
- Repeat with remaining hot dog buns and ground beef egg mixture, greasing the pan as needed.
- Serve the sandwiches immediately with desired toppings such as tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, sriracha, and mayonnaise.
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