As the weather gets warmer and the city gets ready for a post-COVID boom, one of the most quintessentially New York events is set to return: the Queens Night Market. As such, we at The Experiment have decided to kick off our monthly #ExperimentEats Recipe Club with an easy-to-make yet indulgent favorite which has been featured prominently in the market: Chef Amy Pryke’s Roti John.

And what is the #ExperimentEats Recipe Club, you might ask? Each month, we’re going to feature a recipe from one of our beloved cookbooks and try it out at home. We invite you to (virtually) join us in the kitchen and tag us on Instagram and Twitter with the hashtag #ExperimentEats. When you do, you’re automatically entered for a chance to win a free cookbook from us!

Now, for the recipe we’re featuring: This sandwich is said to be named after a tourist (or “John,” in Singaporean slang) who asked for a hamburger and got the closest approximation the vendor could put together! The dish is made with spiced beef, onions, garlic, and an egg, and all of the delicious juices from these ingredients get absorbed by a thick baguette. If you can’t make it to the Queens Night Market, Chef Pryke also serves this signature sandwich at Native Noodles in Washington Heights. If that’s still too far, we have the next best thing: the recipe itself!

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Roti John

Omelet Sandwiches
From Amy Pryke of Native Noodles
Singapore

Roti means bread in Hindi, and John was a common form of address for any Caucasian man in Singapore. Roti John embodies the melting-pot cuisine of Singapore. It is a toasty sandwich of minced meat and onions, wrapped in eggs, and slathered with a ketchup-based sauce. Amy considers it the perfect breakfast sandwich, although you can enjoy it anytime you feel like having an indulgent sandwich.

Makes 1 serving

SPICY KETCHUP
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons sriracha
1 tablespoon granulated sugar

ROTI JOHN
1⁄3 large baguette or 1 hero roll
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon canola or grapeseed oil
4 ounces minced lamb, beef, or beef/ lamb mix
½ teaspoon ground cumin
3 garlic cloves, minced
½ small white or yellow onion, sliced
3 eggs
1 tablespoon sambal oelek chili paste
¼ teaspoon salt
Pinch of ground black pepper

Omelet Sandwiches

1. To make the spicy ketchup, combine the ketchup, sriracha, and sugar with 2 tablespoons water in a bowl and set aside.
2. To make the roti John, split the bread lengthwise but do not cut all the way through, leaving a small hinge like a hot dog bun. Lightly oil a nonstick skillet with 1 teaspoon of the oil and toast the inside of the baguette by pressing down with a spatula until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. You can also toast the bread in your oven for 2 minutes on the broiler setting.
3. Combine the meat and cumin in a bowl and set aside.
4. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in the skillet over medium heat and fry the garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the onions and cook over low heat until translucent, about 6 minutes. Turn the heat to medium. Add the meat and stir-fry until cooked through, about 6 minutes.
5. Crack the eggs into a bowl, beat lightly, then add the sambal oelek, salt, and pepper, and mix well.
6. Pour the eggs into the skillet, covering the meat. When the edges of the egg just start to firm up, after about 30 seconds, press the bread face-down lightly onto the mixture with a spatula for 2 to 3 minutes as the eggs continue to cook. The bread will absorb much of the egg mixture.
7. Flip the bread along with the omelet with a spatula and cook for about 1 minute. If the eggs are not cooked to desired doneness, flip the baguette back and cook until done.
8. Transfer to a plate and spread some ketchup in the center. Close the sandwich, slice into four pieces, and serve.

Recipe from Amy Pryke, Native Noodles. Excerpted from The World Eats Here: Amazing Food and the Inspiring People Who Make It at New York’s Queens Night Market, © 2020 by John Wang and Storm Garner. Photographs © by John Taggart. Reprinted by permission of The Experiment. Available wherever books are sold. theexperimentpublishing.com

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Let us know what you think! Share pictures of your Roti John with the hashtag #ExperimentEats and you’ll automatically be entered to win a copy of The World Eats Here by John Wang and Storm Garner, which features this and 87 other recipes from all around the world. We hope you enjoy this Singaporean treat, and be sure to keep an eye out for more #ExperimentEats!