Pickles and Tea Blog

 

Roti John could be considered the bánh mì, aka the ubiquitous Vietnamese sandwich, of Singapore (or Malaysia, or Brunei). Its components are similar—bread, protein–and is a blend of East and West and just as delicious.

Basically, roti John is a savory French toast—baguette slices soaked with a meat, onion, egg, and sambal (chili paste) mixture to form what some people term “omelet bread.” As with bánh mì, there are endless variations. Sardines, anchovies (ikan bilis), lamb, all show up sometime, somewhere.

So what does roti John actually mean? Roti means “bread” in Malay with “John” being the catchall name given to all Western men during post-colonial times. Think of it as a term like “gringo” or “haole,” except it could actually be someone’s name.

Rumor has it that in 1960’s Singapore, an Englishman asked a street vendor for a hamburger. Of course, street vendors at that time did not sell hamburgers, let alone know what they were, but this ingenious man came up with his own version, frying minced mutton and onions with eggs onto a bread loaf. The street vendor gave the sandwich to the Englishman and said “Silahkan makan roti, John,” which translates to “Please eat this bread, John.” The name roti John stuck.

Coincidentally, roti John happens to be one of my American born- and-bred husband’s favorite foods. Whenever my mom is within cooking distance, she knows to make some for him. This is her version using ham and green onions, which may or may not be authentic but it sure is tasty.

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