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Penang rojak
Rojak Pulau Pinang — crunchy fruit salad in a thick, sticky prawn-paste dressing
Few salads are as divisive or as loved as the rojak sold from carts along Penang's Gurney Drive: crisp jicama, cucumber, green mango, pineapple and guava cut into bite-size pieces and tossed in a black, toffee-thick dressing of hae ko (fermented prawn paste), tamarind and sugar. The fruit stays cold and crunchy while the sauce is sweet, sour, salty and funky at once, finished with a snowfall of crushed peanuts. Stalls often add fried dough fritters and tofu puffs for chew. Eat it as an afternoon snack or alongside grilled meats. Chef's tip: toss only just before serving; the salt in the dressing draws water out of the fruit and turns it watery within 15 minutes.
- Total time
- 20 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the dressing
For the salad
To finish
Method
0/4 doneStep 1: In a large bowl, stir 4 tbsp black prawn paste (hae ko), strained 1 tbsp tamarind pulp, 2 tbsp sugar or palm sugar, 1 tbsp chilli paste and 1 tbsp lime juice together until smooth, glossy and thick enough to coat a spoon. Add a few drops of water if it is too stiff to stir.
Step 2: Keep the cut 9 oz jicama (bangkuang), 1 cucumber, 1 green mango, 7 oz pineapple and 1 guava or rose apple cold in the fridge until the moment you serve.
Step 3: Add the fruit (and tofu puffs if using) to the dressing and toss quickly. Don't dress it ahead of time: the salty sauce pulls water from the fruit and the plate turns soggy. Toss with two spoons until every piece is coated black and shiny.
Step 4: Pile onto plates, scatter thickly with 2 ⅛ oz roasted peanuts and sesame, and eat straight away with cocktail sticks.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 260 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 42 g
- Fat
- 8 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does penang rojak take?
- About 20 minutes in total.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of sugar or palm sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of lime juice?
- Lemon juice, same amount.
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