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Tanzanian

Chipsi mayai

Contains egg (no meat or fish)

Freshly fried chips set into a thick omelette in the pan and flipped like a cake. A cheap, filling Tanzanian street-food classic served with salad and chilli sauce.

Chipsi mayai is a Tanzanian egg dish, ready in about 30 minutes and made with potato and egg. It serves 2 and is rated easy to cook.

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Chipsi mayai chip omelette cut into wedges with ketchup salad and mayonnaise
Photo: iamkevoo / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-4.0
Prep
10 min
Cook
20 min
Total
30 min
Serves
2
Level
Easy
Calories
579

Ingredients

2 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Rinse and dry the chips. Deep-fry at 170 °C until golden and cooked through, then drain and salt lightly.

    Food safety: Dry the potatoes thoroughly and never leave hot oil unattended.

    Food deep-frying in hot oil
    How it looks · Photo: Riya Roy on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Beat the eggs (opens in a new tab) with the remaining salt. Heat 1 tbsp of the frying oil in a frying pan, add the chips in an even layer and pour the eggs over.

    Eggs being whisked in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Cook until the underside is set and golden, then flip with a plate and cook the other side.

    • 6 min
    • medium-low heat

    Food safety: Cook until the egg is fully set.

  4. Step 4

    Cut into wedges and serve with the tomato (opens in a new tab) and onion salad, chilli sauce (opens in a new tab) and ketchup (opens in a new tab).

      A finished dish being plated
      How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

    About this dish

    Origin
    Tanzania · Commonly attributedA street-food staple of Dar es Salaam and across Tanzania.Also popular in KenyaMore food from Tanzania
    Dish
    Lunch · Dinner · Snack · Egg dishes · Street food
    Cooking method
    Deep-fried, Pan-fried
    Taste
    savoury, salty, mild
    Diet
    Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients
    All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free
    Without the optional extras: No added sugarWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
    Good for
    Street food · Budget-friendly · Child-friendly
    Cook more with
    Potato · Egg
    Techniques
    Pan-frying · Deep-frying

    Allergens

    • Contains: Eggsfrom egg
    • May contain: Mustardfrom tomato ketchup
    • May contain: Celeryfrom tomato ketchup

    Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

    Nutrition

    579 kcal per serving

    Calculated

    1 serving ≈ 380 g · recipe makes 2

    Where the energy comes from

    • Protein 12%
    • Carbohydrate 30%
    • Fat 57%
    Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
    NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
    Energy579 kcal152 kcal
    Protein17.7 g4.7 g
    Carbohydrate44.4 g11.7 g
    Net carbohydrate39.2 g10.3 g
    Sugars2.4 g0.6 g
    Added sugars0 g0 g
    Fibre5.3 g1.4 g
    Fat37.2 g9.8 g
    Saturated fat5.2 g1.4 g
    Trans fat0.1 g0 g
    Cholesterol372 mg98 mg
    Sodium1031 mg271 mg
    Salt equivalent2.6 g0.7 g
    Vitamins & minerals per serving
    Potassium
    1201 mg
    Calcium
    87 mg
    Iron
    3.8 mg
    Magnesium
    70 mg
    Vitamin A (RAE)
    160 µg
    Vitamin C
    49 mg
    Vitamin D
    2 µg
    Vitamin B12
    0.9 µg
    Folate (DFE)
    85 µg

    How these numbers were made

    • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
    • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
    • Optional ingredients are not included: tomato, red onion, chilli sauce (sriracha-style), tomato ketchup.
    • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
    • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

    Good to know

    Tips

    • Leftover or oven chips work well for a quick home version.

    Common mistakes

    • Pouring the eggs onto cold chips — keep the chips hot so the omelette sets around them.

    Storage

    • Best eaten immediately.

    Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

    Sauces, chutneys & dips for this dish

    Recipe DNA

    How this dish is built

    Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

    What the dish is built around

    Main ingredient

    • Potato, peeled and cut into thin chips500 g
    • Egg4 piece · 200 g
    • Tomato, diced (optional)1 piece · 120 g
    Used in steps 1, 2, 4

    Reviews & corrections

    Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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