Singaporean Rojak

About This Recipe

Rojak (the Malay word for 'mixture' or 'eclectic mix') is Singapore's most anarchic dish — and one of its most beloved. The hawker version, known as Penang or Singaporean Rojak (as distinguished from the Indonesian model), is a tumbled salad of tropical fruits and vegetables — sliced pineapple, green mango, cucumber, jicama, water spinach (kangkong), tofu, and you tiao (fried Chinese crullers cut into bite-size pieces) — all tossed in a thick, glossy, intensely fragrant sauce built from hei kou (black fermented prawn paste), tamarind juice, sugar, and water, then showered with crushed roasted peanuts and sesame seeds. The sauce is the undisputed star: funky, sour, sweet, and complex in a way that defies easy analysis, clinging to every piece of fruit and vegetable with remarkable persistence. Rojak is consumed as a snack or appetizer throughout Singapore's hawker culture, with Penang Rojak stalls and famous Chinese Rojak hawkers each maintaining fiercely loyal followings. The dish cannot be separated from Singapore's multiethnic culinary identity — it is the delicious physical manifestation of the word rojak itself.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 200 gfresh pineapple, peeled and cut into chunks
• 150 ggreen mango, peeled and julienned
• 200 gjicama (bangkwang), peeled and cut into batons
• 1cucumber, halved, seeded, and cut into chunks
• 150 gwater spinach (kangkong) stems, blanched briefly
• 200 gfirm tofu, cubed and deep-fried until golden
• 2you tiao (Chinese fried crullers), cut into 3 cm pieces
• 2 tbsphei kou (black fermented prawn paste / petis udang)
• 3 tbsptamarind pulp dissolved in 60 ml warm water, strained
• 2 tbsppalm sugar or brown sugar, dissolved in 1 tbsp hot water
• 1 tbsptoasted sesame seeds
• 80 groasted peanuts, roughly crushed
• 1–2 tspsambal belacan or chopped fresh chili(optional, for heat)

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the rojak sauce

   Stir together hei kou (prawn paste), tamarind water, dissolved palm sugar, and sambal (if using). Taste — the sauce should be intensely savory, sour, and sweet in balance. Adjust tamarind for sourness, palm sugar for sweetness, and hei kou for depth.

2. 2

   Prepare the ingredients

   Cut all fruits and vegetables. Deep-fry tofu cubes at 175°C until golden on all sides; drain on paper towel. Cut you tiao into pieces.

3. 3

   Toss just before serving

   Place all fruits, vegetables, tofu, and you tiao in a large bowl. Pour the sauce over. Toss thoroughly to coat every piece — use tongs or clean hands. Work quickly; you tiao absorbs sauce and softens within minutes.

4. 4

   Garnish and serve immediately

   Transfer to a plate or serving bowl. Scatter crushed peanuts and sesame seeds generously over the top. Serve within 5 minutes.

   The contrast between crispy you tiao, chewy fruit, and crunchy peanuts is the textural heart of rojak — do not let it sit.

Variations

• •

  Penang pasembur: a similar but Indian-Muslim-influenced dish using fried fritters, boiled potato, and a sweet-spicy sweet potato sauce instead of prawn paste sauce.

• •

  Indonesian gado-gado: blanched vegetables and tofu in a cooked peanut sauce — a cousin dish with a completely different sauce profile.

• •

  Rojak buah: a simpler fruit-only version popular at food courts, with the same sauce but without vegetables or tofu.

Storage

Rojak must be assembled and eaten immediately. Store sauce, prepared fruits, and fried elements separately in the fridge up to 2 days; assemble to order.

Frequently Asked Questions