Roti Canai Curry Rolls with Egg and Basil

Pre-made curry and frozen flatbread make for a delicious (and quick) dinner.

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I love holiday cooking. I love making homemade apple sauce for latkes, baking big batches of granola and stollen to send to friends for Christmas, and playing with all the fun appetizers and roasts and desserts I want to make for Solstice and Hanukkah and Christmas Eve and New Years. (We celebrate all the holidays in our house, which gives me lots of opportunities for making delicious food.)

The problem comes with figuring out what to make for regular, everyday dinners during this super-packed time of year. What can I feed myself (and my family) after a full day of buying and decorating the tree or taking a gaggle of tween girls ice skating? What can I get on a plate quickly if I want to spend my time baking holiday cookies instead of roasting a chicken?

This snacking dinner is my go-to solution. It requires very little cooking—it’s mostly just assembling ingredients I keep in my freezer, fridge, and pantry—but it’s absolutely delicious and feels a lot more special than just throwing some crackers and cheese on a plate and calling it a day.

What are you cooking this holiday season? Let me know in the comments!

Roti Canai Curry Roll with Egg and Basil

This fun dish is sort of a fusiony take on roti canai or roti prata—a Southeast Asian classic often served with curry sauce as a dip—and on a classic Malaysian egg curry. Here, instead of dipping the bread, I roll it up around a chopped egg and use curry as a flavorful sauce. The result is delicious and easy to throw together. (In fact, it’s so good and easy that once you try it, you might find yourself making it again for breakfast in the morning.)

This recipe is more about assembling ingredients—a boiled egg, frozen roti or paratha, and jarred curry—than about cooking, so look for a high-quality curry like the versions made by Banyan Thai. Using a Thai curry, instead of a Singaporean or Malaysian version, gives the dish a different flavor profile than the dish that inspired it, but it’s still absolutely delicious. (I’ve made you a little cooking video, below, so you can see how easy this is!)

Time: 20 minutes
Makes 2 rolls/1 serving

2 eggs
2 frozen roti canai or flakey-style paratha
High-quality pre-made curry sauce
3–6 basil leaves (or more, if they’re very small)

1. Heat 4–5” of water in a medium pot until it boils, then use a slotted spoon to carefully lower the eggs into the water. When the water comes back to a boil, set a timer for 9 minutes. While the eggs cook, make an ice bath. When the eggs are done, use the slotted spoon to transfer them to the ice bath and let them cool for 5 minutes (or longer). Carefully peel the eggs and cut them into thick slices.

2. While the eggs are cooking, heat the roti/paratha in a nonstick pan, according to the package’s instructions, until they have puffed up and are nicely browned on both sides. Tear any large basil leaves into small strips. 

3. Transfer the roti to a plate and drizzle each one with a spoonful of the curry sauce.* Arrange the eggs and basil over the sauce and roll them up to eat.

*Note: Freeze leftover curry in small amounts—or in an ice cube tray—so you can unfreeze one portion at a time for future dinners.

Photo/Video: Georgia Freedman