Rojak
A tangy-sweet salad of fruit and vegetables, such as pineapple, cucumber, and jicama, tossed in a thick sauce of tamarind, chili, and shrimp paste or palm sugar, and sprinkled with peanuts.
Rujak Buah (Indonesian Fruit Salad): Sofiah Budiastuti, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
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Where it comes from
Rojak, a word meaning mixture in Malay, is served at hawker stalls across Malaysia and Singapore. Fruit rojak is a favorite snack because it balances sweet, sour, and spicy in a bite.
Explore the cuisine of Malaysia, Singapore.
Recipe
Make Rojak at home
Ingredients
- 2 cups pineapple chunks
- 1 cucumber, cut in chunks
- 1 jicama or green mango, sliced
- 1 firm guava or green apple
- 2 tbsp tamarind paste
- 3 tbsp palm sugar
- 1 tbsp shrimp paste (optional)
- 2 red chilies
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 1/4 cup crushed roasted peanuts
- Dough fritters (you tiao), optional
How it's made
- Blend or pound the chilies with palm sugar, tamarind, shrimp paste, lime juice, and a splash of water to make a thick sauce.
- Cut all fruit and vegetables into bite-size pieces.
- Place in a large bowl.
- Pour in the sauce and toss gently to coat.
- Sprinkle with peanuts and serve right away.
Variations
- Indian rojak with fried fritters and tofu
- Rujak buah in Indonesia with a spicy palm sugar sauce
- Vegetarian: leave out shrimp paste
Cook’s tip: Serve right after mixing; the sauce draws juice from the fruit.
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About this page
Description and method written by Intercontinental Chef. Home-style method; quantities are a starting point, so adjust to taste.
Photo credit
- Rujak Buah (Indonesian Fruit Salad): Sofiah Budiastuti, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)