Rolex (Vegetable Omelet and Chapati Roll)

Updated Oct. 11, 2023

Rolex (Vegetable Omelet and Chapati Roll)
Kelly Marshall for The New York Times
Total Time
25 minutes
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
Rating
4(314)
Comments
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A popular snack on the streets of Kampala, Uganda, the rolex is a vegetable omelet rolled up in a chapati, its name a cheeky reference to the watch brand. A rolex can be as elaborate or as simple as you need it to be. Ingredients always include a chapati (homemade or store-bought) and eggs studded with vegetables and cooked in a skillet. At its most basic, a rolex will have diced onions, shredded green cabbage and often green peppers. Tomatoes can be added in cooked or raw for a pop of acid. Minced chiles will add a bit of heat, and fresh chopped cilantro is a lovely garnish. These are all optional, of course. In Kampala, the rolex is often made with the ingredients the maker has on hand.

Featured in: Rolex (an Egg Wrap, Not a Watch) Is the Breakfast to Change Your Mornings

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Ingredients

Yield:2 servings
  • 4large eggs
  • Salt and black pepper
  • 2(10-inch) chapatis, homemade or store-bought
  • 2tablespoons neutral oil, such as grapeseed
  • ¼cup minced yellow onion
  • ¼cup chopped fresh tomato
  • 1serrano, seeded and minced
  • ¼ cup thinly sliced green cabbage
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (2 servings)

486 calories; 29 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 14 grams monounsaturated fat; 7 grams polyunsaturated fat; 36 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 21 grams protein; 548 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Crack 2 eggs into a small bowl, season with a pinch each of salt and pepper and whisk together to combine.

  2. Step 2

    Heat a small nonstick skillet over medium. Heat a chapati on both sides for up to 1 minute. Slide onto a plate and cover with another plate or clean kitchen towel to keep warm. Repeat with the second chapati. Stack on the warmed chapati and cover.

  3. Step 3

    Over medium, heat 1 tablespoon oil in the skillet and add half the onion. Cook until just beginning to soften, about 1 minute. Add half of the tomatoes, half the serrano and half of the cabbage. Cook, stirring frequently, until the tomatoes are soft but not breaking down and the cabbage wilts, about 2 minutes. Season with a pinch each of salt and pepper. Add the cracked eggs and swirl the pan to distribute evenly over the surface. Shake the pan gently, tilting it slightly with one hand, while lifting the edges of the omelet with a spatula in your other hand. (This lets the eggs run underneath during the first few minutes of cooking.) Once the eggs are set on the bottom, flip, using the spatula, so that the other side cooks, about 1 minute.

  4. Step 4

    Move a chapati to a plate and top with the eggs. Starting with the edge closest to you, roll the chapati over the eggs, tightly into a log.

  5. Step 5

    Crack the remaining 2 eggs, season and whisk. Repeat Steps 3 and 4 with the other chapati. Serve both immediately while still warm.

Ratings

4 out of 5
314 user ratings
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Comments

We use a flour tortilla, white or whole wheat. You can use any veggies, herbs, cheese or meats you have on hand. We use the simpler Nadiya Hussain method of pressing an unheated tortilla onto the eggs just after you put them in the pan, pressing to distribute the eggs evenly under the tortilla. When the eggs are set, which happens quickly, flip to heat the tortilla for a minute or so then roll up and serve. Easy and delicious.

You wrapped it up like a burrito because you MADE a burrito. You did not make the rolex described in the article or recipe.

Fabulous! I’m so pleased to see this recipe here. In October 2019 we spent three weeks visiting Uganda, which is such an amazing country. We worked on an Earthwatch project monitoring chimpanzees in Budongo Forest Reserve. Our lunches on the monitoring treks were rolex which We ate greedily each day. I tried to get the recipe from the camp cook but there was no way she was sharing her recipe! Thanks so Ms Komolafe, I can now recreate these yummy meals at home.

Where online can I buy real chapatis? Thanks in advance.

We use a spicy Peruvian sauce, either internally or for a dip, to add some zing to this delicious breakfast dish. It's a regular in our breakfast rotations!

Loved watching Yewande make the chapatis! Made with love.🥰❤️

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