Egg Roti Roll – Frankie made simple

‘I love Frankie and so will you’ screamed out the banners on small red stalls on the street of Colaba (in Bombay) when I was a little girl. How we loved those Frankies- little bits of chicken tucked in a tangy spicy sauce rolled up in a thin flatbread (roti) served steaming hot. Me and my sister made these a zillion times at home trying to replicate the tangy taste.

In Calcutta, I found a similar popular street snack-Egg rolls. Calcutta has street lots of small shops which have umpteen number of people queuing outside just to buy some egg roll or chicken roll. These are delicious, but made a bit differently, with the flatbread a bit thicker, and the stuffing not so gravy based. Yummy, but not tangy like the Frankie.

This is my friend Ritu’s version made with whole wheat rotis – a healthy take on Egg rolls. You can use any ready made wraps from the supermarket if you don’t want to make your own rotis.

Not only is it quick and nutritious but also extremely filling. I generally have a stash of rotis in my freezer which I pull out for a quick lunch or an after school snack. Needless to say, everyone loves it- my friends and his  friends alike.

Ingredients

• Roti (Flatbread)- 4
• Eggs- 2
• Salt- 1 pinch
• Chilli powder- 1 pinch
• Onion, finely sliced- 1/4
• Red wine vinegar- 2 tsp
• Oil for frying.

Method

Get your stash of rotis .

Beat one egg in a bowl. Add a pinch of salt and a pinch of chilli powder. This tastes so much nicer than adding pepper, it completely changes the flavour of the dish.

Heat up a pan. Grease it with oil.

Pour the egg quickly . It forms a sort of circle on the pan.

Quickly put the roti on the egg. It just clings on to the egg.

More often than not, you will find people frying the roti first, putting some egg on top and then flipping the roti over. I find this very tricky, because the runny egg makes it ever so difficult. This is my friend Ritu’s style of making the rolls which makes it incredibly easy. The roti sticks onto the egg very easily.

When you see the egg sort of solidifying, flip over, it will continue to cook while the other side of the roti cooks.

For grownups, I like to put onions, and some chilli sauce. My personal favourite is sliced onions steeped in red wine vinegar for an extremely tangy taste. Remember the Frankie story? I like to relive lost memories, you see!

You can always add in cooked chicken, pieces of paneer, or any other filler of your choice. If you do want the vinegary onion, try putting it in red wine vinegar for 10 minutes, it takes away the sharpness and severity f the onion and makes it very tangy.

Kids mostly just want a squirt of ketchup and they are done.

To summarise- just 4 steps- beat the eggs, pour on pan, stick roti on top and then flip over- easy peasy!

Roll up and serve!