Today I am so excited to be sharing with you one of my favorite Ugandan recipes, the Rolex.
I prepared this recipe as part of the Museum of Surrey Community Treasures Exhibit: Celebrating Our Ugandan Heritage.
Rolex is a popular Ugandan Street Food that derives its name from the way it is made.
Rolled eggs = Rolex. Rolex is made by rolling an omelet in an East African flatbread called chapati.
Ugandans call it rolex because of the way it is made, by rolling an omelet inside a chapati. So, no affiliation with the watch.
Growing up in Kampala, Uganda, during my time studying at Makerere University, I have fond memories of walking down to Wandegeya, a small bustling town to buy rolex. It was affordable, it was fast, it was delicious and nutritious.
Getty | Juan Alberto Casado
In Uganda, street food is made from scratch right before your eyes, using locally sourced and healthy ingredients. Some of the most common street foods include Muchomo (roasted meat), Tv chicken (rotisserie chicken), Kabalagala (Ugandan pancakes) Kasoli (roasted/grilled corn), Gonja (roasted plantain) Fried casava, Mandazi (African doughnut), chapati (African flat bread) Rolex (chapati with an omelet rolled inside it) Samosa (Stuffed pastry) and Chai (Ugandan tea with a delicious blend of lemon grass, ginger, cinnamon, milk and sugar). Today we will highlight the rolex.
A rolex is made of two parts: chapati, an African flat bread and an omelet. Besides being affordable, rolex is quite filling and covers all the food groups; the chapati provides the carbohydrates, the omelet the protein and the shredded cabbage, carrot, tomato and onion within the omelet provide the vegetables.
I will be showing you how I make rolex. The rolex is a very versatile dish, you can choose to make a vegetable rolex with shredded cabbage, carrot, onion and tomato or you can make a meat rolex with shredded chicken or ground beef. It is up to you and your tastebuds, make it your own. For example, I like to add dried parsley to my chapati dough and prefer to use butter to fry both the chapati and omelet because I have experimented with different oils and I love the flavor butter brings to the dish. Ugandan street food vendors will most likely use whatever cooking oil is readily available. So please keep in mind that this is my take on the beautiful Ugandan street food dish popularly known as rolex.
Watch the video tutorial below.
A Rolex is made of two parts: chapati (an East African flat bread) and an omelet.
Step 1: Make the Chapati
Chapati is a delicious and soft East African flat bread made with flour, oil and water as the main ingredients.
Ingredients
- 3 Cups Flour (plus a little more flour for kneading)
- 4 Tablespoons Oil (I use avocado oil but any oil will work)
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- 1 Teaspoon Dried Parsley Flakes
- 1 Teaspoon Sugar
- 1¼ Cups Warm water
- Butter
Directions
1. In a large mixing bowl, add flour, salt, parsley flakes and sugar. Mix well.
2. Add oil and water to the dry ingredients, mix until a soft sticky dough forms.
3. Turn onto a floured surface and knead the dough for 10 to 15 minutes until smooth and elastic. The dough should not be sticky, so add a bit of flour and knead until it is not sticky.
4. Cover with cling wrap or a tea towel and rest dough in a warm place for 20 to 30 minutes
5. Divide into small balls and cover these with flour
6. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough balls into large flat circles
7. Fry both sides till browned on a medium hot pan with a teaspoon of oil or butter
8. Cover with tin foil to keep the chapati soft, moist and warm.
Step 2: Make the Omelet
Once my chapati is ready, I will then make an omelet with egg, diced onion, tomato and sweet bell peppers.
Ingredients
- 2 Eggs
- Tomato
- Onion
- Sweet Bell Pepper
- Salt
- Pepper
- Butter
Directions:
1. Dice the onion, tomato and sweet bell pepper.
2. Whisk the eggs until smooth.
3. Add the diced vegetables, salt and pepper to the egg and whisk to incorporate.
4. Add butter to a pan on medium heat and allow to melt.
5. Pour your egg and vegetable mixture onto the pan and cook till the bottom is set, then flip and cook the top as well.
Step 3: Rolex Assembly
Ingredients
- Chapati
- Omelet
Directions:
1. Place the omelet on top of the chapati and roll them up with the chapati on the outside.
2. There you have it! A magnificent and delicious Rolex. Serve warm and enjoy!
Variations: Add cooked shredded chicken, strips of grilled salmon or avocado on top of the omelet before rolling up your Rolex.
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