Chinese Rojak - A sweet memory with Mum

After so much of rich food from Christmas and New Year celebrations, it is a delight to have something light! ROJAK!

Rojak is just tossed salad of various fruits with belacan (prawn paste) dark sauce.  Different ethnic groups have different versions of "Rojak". The Chinese "Rojak" are mixture of cut up pineapple, cucumbers, guava, unripe papaya, green mangoes, bean sprouts and “youtiao” (dough fritters), and toss them with a sauce made of chilli, tamarind, lime and lime peel, and a prawn paste topped with lots of roasted ground peanuts is my favorite. The Malay version is about the same except that it contains tempeh (a patty made from cooked, fermented soya beans) and tahu goreng (fried bean curd). With Indian rojak, you usually choose which specific ingredients they would like.  These ingredients might include boiled diced potatoes, hard- boiled eggs, fried bean curd, vadai (fried dough with a chilli or prawn embedded in it) and fried squid, all served with a sweet chilli sauce.

Rojak has its origins in Indonesia where it is called ‘rujak’. A popular dish in east Java is rujak cingur which is similar to the Malay version of Singapore rojak except that it has a distinctive ingredient, cartilage from the nose of an ox (cingur). I have not had an Indonesian version of "Rojak" before.


I must share this sweet memory about me and Mum with you. When I was like 5 or 6 years old, we used to go to a place called "Old Town" in our hometown Ipoh to eat this heavenly dish.  We went there at least once a week until we moved to Kuala Lumpur when I was 9 years old but then whenever we return to visit our relatives in Ipoh, we never fail to pop by this rojak stall to have a big plate of it.    


This rojak stall had the most simplest set up. The tables and chairs were made up of wooden palettes. The rojak is truly special. The fruits and sauce were served separately. The sauce was divine and so far I have not tasted any that is even near after the old man passed away.  Everyone in my hometown knew about this rojak stall. People from abroad knew about it too. Yes, it was that famous!  It was also the most expensive rojak in Ipoh but no one complains because it was the best Chinese Rojak ever! 

Large adapted from Singapore Local Favorites:

Ingredients :

100g pineapple (rind removed)

100g yam bean (peeled)

100g green mangoes

100g young papaya

100g cucumber

50g bean curd puffs

50g dough fritters

1 tsp red ginger plant bud (bunga siantan - shredded)

150g roasted peanuts (ground)

50g bean sprouts (scalded)

Sauce:

4 tbsp prawn paste

1.5 tbsp lime juice

1/2 tbsp lime rind

5 tbsp sugar

some fresh chilies (ground finely)

Method :

Cut pineapple, yam bean, cucumber, green mangoes, young papaya, guava, bean curd puffs and dough fritters into pieces. Mix red ginger plant bud,  3/4 of the ground peanuts and all Sauce ingredients in large bowl. Add pineapple, yam bean, cucumber, green mangoes, young papaya, bean curd puffs and bean sprouts. Toss and mix well till ingredients are well-coated with sauce. Transfer to serving dish. Top with dough fritters and remaining ground peanuts and serve.

Red ginger plant bud is one of the "must have" in this Chinese-style rojak.  It adds a heavenly flavor to the dish. This is available at most wet markets.  One tip though, do not be stingy on ground peanuts because it is necessary to make this dish really tasty.

Rojak is a Malay word and what is means it "a mixture" or "a melting pot". It is also a popular salad of all kinds of local fruits unique to Malaysia and Singapore. ENJOY!

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