Sunday 12 February 2012

Rolexes... the EDIBLE kind?

I know it's kind of unusual for me to feature a recipe on here, but it's something i'm keen to do more regularly.


let me first explain to those of you who don't know what a rolex is. it's a snack or light meal comprised of chapatti, vegetables and eggs. apparently it was originally known as 'roll eggs'  but when this is said quickly in a ugandan accent it sounds like rolex, and so the name has evolved.

you will need:

2 cups of plain flour
1 cup of water
1 teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon of olive oil
some sunflower or other clear oil for frying

4-6 eggs
salt and pepper
shedded vegetables. these could be anything, though when i was in uganda it was cabbage and carrot.

start by making the chapattis. i just used a mug for the measurements. combine the flour, water, salt and olive oil, and knead into a smooth dough. this is easier if you split it in two. if you find that your dough is not completely smooth, start rolling and re-rolling, and it will improve. this recipe makes 2 good sized chapattis, so roll half the dough out and fold it into quarters, and then repeat, switching between the two portions.  try and keep them as round as possible, and approximately the same size as your frying pan. you will find that they sring back a lot as you roll, but persevere and they will get bigger and flatter. you want to roll them as thinly as possible, but not bigger than your pan.

once you have rolled both of your chapattis, prep your eggs. break 2 or 3 of them into a cup (preferably the same one you used for measuring your flour and water, less washing up), depending on how many eggs you are using, add your veggies, and season well. its hard to oversalt this, and they will taste bland if you don't put enough in. 


pour enough oil into the pan to completely cover the surface. put it on a high heat and wait until it is bubbling to add your first chapatti.(you can test it by just dipping the edge into the oil. if it sizzles straight away, it's hot enough) when it's hot, place the first chapatti in the pan, and turn it to evenly distrubute the heat. you can also press it out a little further at this point. lip your chapatti after about a minute. it should be golden brown and patchy where the layers have bubbled up. remove from the pan after about another 30 seconds. cook the other one in the same way, and remove to kitchen paper.

turn the heat down to medium. when you start cooking the eggs everything happens kind of at once, so make sure you've got a plate handy, and a knife and fork! when i make these i tend to make 2 chapattis and only one lot of eggs, and use the other chapatti at another time. if you want to make both of them now, you will need to have to cups of eggs and veg ready to go, or the first one will get cold while you prep the second one. pour your eggs into the pan, and shake the pan slightly, to spead them out. when you can see the white cooked layer of eggs all over the bottom of the pan, grab a chapatti, and place it bownest-side-down on top of the eggs. carefully slide a fish slice underneath, and flip the whole lot over. after only about a minute, slip it out of the pan and onto a plate, and roll it up, with the eggs inside and chapatti outside. you can put slices of tomato or other fillings in before you roll it up if you want to.

enjoy the fruits of your labour!

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