Ingredients
Chapati
- 300 gplain flour
- 1 tspsalt
- 1 tspsugar
- 3 tbspoil, plus more for cooking
- 180 mlwarm water
Omelette
- 4eggs
- 1small onion, finely sliced
- 1tomato, diced
- 80 gwhite cabbage, very finely shredded
- 1green capsicum, finely sliced (optional)
- 1green chilli, chopped (optional)
- 2 tbspchopped coriander
- ½ tspsalt
- ¼ tspblack pepper
- 2 tbspoil
To finish
- Chilli sauce or tomato ketchup
- Sliced avocado (optional)
Directions
- Mix the flour, salt and sugar, rub in 3 tbsp oil, then add the warm water and knead 8 minutes to a soft, smooth dough. Cover and rest 30 minutes.
- Divide into 2, roll each out thinly, brush with oil, then roll it up into a rope and coil the rope into a snail. Rest 10 minutes, then roll flat again – this coiling is what makes the chapati layered and flaky rather than stiff.
- Cook each chapati on a hot dry tawa or heavy pan for about 90 seconds a side, brushing with oil and pressing the edges down with a cloth, until brown spots appear and it puffs. Keep them warm and soft under a cloth.
- Beat 2 eggs per rolex with the onion, tomato, cabbage, capsicum, chilli, coriander, salt and pepper. The vegetables go into the egg, not on top – this is what distinguishes a rolex from an egg wrap.
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in the same pan over medium heat and pour in the egg mixture, spreading it out to roughly the size of your chapati.
- Cook 2 minutes until the base is set and golden but the top is still slightly wet.
- Lay a warm chapati straight onto the wet surface of the omelette and press it down so it bonds, then flip the whole thing over and cook 30 seconds more.
- Slide it onto a board, chapati side down, add chilli sauce and avocado if using, roll it up tightly from one edge, cut in half on the diagonal and eat immediately in your hand, wrapped in paper.
Technique
- The name is simply ‘rolled eggs’, run together the way it is shouted at the stall – nothing to do with the watch.
- Pressing the chapati onto the still-wet omelette is the trick. It welds the two together so the roll holds instead of sliding apart.
- Rolex is late-night student food from Wandegeya near Makerere University, made to order in seconds on a flat steel plate over charcoal. It is cheap, fast and endlessly customisable.
Substitutions
- Shop-bought chapati or a large flour tortilla works when time is short, though a fresh oiled chapati is much softer.
- Any shredded vegetable goes in – carrot, spinach, spring onion – and a spoon of grated cheese is a common upgrade.
Variations
- Kikomando, the same chapati chopped up and mixed with fried beans instead.
- A ‘double rolex’ with four eggs and two chapatis, or a ‘titanic’ – a rolex made with an extra-large chapati.
History
An omelette rolled in chapati, invented at hostel stalls near Makerere University in Kampala in the 1990s; the name compresses rolled eggs.
Frequently asked questions
What is Rolex?
Rolex is a street food from Uganda: chapati rolled around fried eggs, tomato and cabbage. An omelette rolled in chapati, invented at hostel stalls near Makerere University in Kampala in the 1990s; the name compresses rolled eggs.
How long does Rolex take to make?
Rolex takes 25 min of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes 2 servings. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Rolex?
Yes, within limits. Shop-bought chapati or a large flour tortilla works when time is short, though a fresh oiled chapati is much softer. Any shredded vegetable goes in – carrot, spinach, spring onion – and a spoon of grated cheese is a common upgrade.
What is the most important thing to get right in Rolex?
Divide into 2, roll each out thinly, brush with oil, then roll it up into a rope and coil the rope into a snail. Rest 10 minutes, then roll flat again – this coiling is what makes the chapati layered and flaky rather than stiff.
