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According to the legends, Mr Sukor was always being by expatriates about frying them an an onion omelette, which they would eat with a side order of bread. They ate so much of it, and so often, that Mr Shukor decided to create a ‘two-in-one’ dish for them. He added the bread as the eggs were cooking, and the result was a delicious omelette-topped slab of French bread, which he served with a special sweet-chilli sauce.

It went down well with the foreign clientele, and the locals and Mr Shukor needed a name for it. Since it had been created for the foreigners, it was named after them too. “In those days, we addressed all ang mohs as John! John! So my father named this dish Roti John.” Roti is the Malay word for Bread explained Madam Norhayati, daughter of Mr Shukor who created roti John in the 1970s. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Recommended

• Shukor Stall Makanan istimewa
  Serangoon garden food centre
  9.30am-9.30pm

Recipe

Ingredients: Serves 2

1 small French loaf

2 eggs

½ large onion, peeled

100 g (approximately 3 oz) minced beef, chicken or pork

4 green chilies

Salt and pepper to taste

Oil for frying

Method:

Chop onion and green chilies.  Break eggs into a bowl and beat.  Stir in the chopped chilies, onion and minced meat and salt and pepper to taste.  Cut French loaf into thick slices.  Coat bread slices on one side with egg mixture.  Heat 2 tablespoons oil in flat frying pan.  When hot, place bread, meat side down, into the oil.  Press down bread for egg mixture to adhere.  Leave for a few minutes, then turn over to brown the other side.  Remove from pan and drain on kitchen paper.  Fry the other slices of bread in the same manner, adding more oil if necessary.  Serve hot with fresh cut cucumber and bottled sweet chili sauce.