Old Mill Cottage roti breakfast

Food often acts as memory, meals transporting us to a time, place and feeling. This one recalls the breakfast for Fuzz Ali at Old Mill Cottage in Suva, run by Fijian food icon Mary Apted. It follows a familiar Indo-Fijian breakfast format: fresh rotis, fried spiced eggs and a vegetable, in this case a smoky, fire-charred eggplant chokha.

Credit: Ilai Jikoiono

• serves

  4

• prep

  25 minutes

• cook

  25 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

Eggplant chokha

• 3 eggplant
• 1 small red onion, finely diced
• 1 medium tomato, diced
• Generous handful of coriander, to taste
• 1 small green chilli, finely chopped (remove seeds if less heat is preferred)
• 4 garlic cloves, grated
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp mustard oil
• 1 small lime, halved
• Salt, to taste
• Cracked black pepper, to taste
• Pinch of sugar, to taste

Roti

• 1 cup plain flour
• 1 tbsp ghee, plus extra for cooking
• Pinch of salt

Spicy fried eggs

• 1 tbsp ghee
• 7 eggs
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 red chillies, finely sliced (remove seeds if less heat is preferred)
• 3 stalks coriander, roughly chopped
• Salt, to taste

Resting time: 20 minutes

Instructions

1. For the eggplant chokha, pierce the eggplants a few times with a fork and place them directly over an open flame on medium-high heat. Turn occasionally until the skins are deeply charred and the flesh softens, about 10-15 minutes. Alternatively, roast them under a hot grill or in the oven.
2. Set the eggplants aside to cool. While they rest, combine the onion, tomato, coriander, chilli and garlic in a mixing bowl and set aside.
3. Once the eggplants are cool enough to handle, peel away the skins. If a few charred flecks remain, that is fine. Transfer the smoky flesh to a plate and mash gently with a fork. Season with cumin powder, salt, black pepper and a pinch of sugar, then bring it all together.
4. Add the seasoned eggplant mixture to the bowl with the other ingredients. Pour in the mustard oil and mix gently to combine. Finish with the juice of half a lime and toss lightly until everything is just coated.
5. For the roti, place the flour, ghee and salt in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. With the mixer running, slowly trickle in enough boiling water (around ⅓ – ½ cup) until a flexible, supple dough forms, this should take around 15 minutes.
6. Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead by hand for about 5 minutes until smooth. Shape into a ball, cover with a clean cloth and let rest for 20 minutes.
7. Divide into four generous portions and roll each one out evenly. Cook the roti on medium heat, brushing with ghee and turning regularly until lightly golden and tender.
8. For the spicy fried eggs, heat the ghee in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the diced onion and chillies, cooking until lightly caramelised and fragrant.
9. For the spicy fried eggs, crack in the whole eggs and season with salt. Mix roughly so the eggs break apart slightly but still hold some texture.
10. Once the eggs are cooked through and lightly golden, remove from the heat. Stir through the chopped coriander just before serving.
11. Serve spicy fried eggs with the eggplant chokha and roti for a hearty Old Mill Cottage breakfast.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.