Chinese Rojak

Chinese Rojak

Ingredients:
pineapple  -  1/4 from a medium sized pineapple
Green apple - 1
Cucumber - 1 medium size
Turnips   -  1/2
Bean sprouts  -  a handful
Bean curd puffs  -  3 or 4
Dough fritters / you tiao -  1/2 or a whole
Red ginger bud  -  1tsp ( shredded)
Roasted peanuts  - 3 tbsp

Soya sauce  -  1tsp
Chili sauce  -  1tsp
Salt to taste

For the Sauce

Tamarind paste  - 1/2 tsp
Lime juice  - 1tbsp
Lime rind  - 1/2 tsp
fresh red chilies - 2 or 3
Palm sugar  - 2tsp






Steps:
First prepare the sauce with all its ingredients mixed well.
Dice the pineapple, green apple, cucumber, turnip to bite size pieces.
Do the same with the bean puffs and you tiao.
Add in the bean sprouts first to the sauce.
Toss in the remaining ingredients including the soya sauce and mix well until all the ingredients are coated with the sauce.
Sprinkle with generous portion of crushed roasted peanuts.
Serve immediately.
My Notes:
A popular Javanese dish, originally from Indonesia with a name "rujak". A fruit and vegetable salad unique to Singapore and Malaysia. Different ethnic group has different version of the dish here in Singapore.
Basically it is a tossed salad of various ingredients with a unique sauce. A happy jumble of ingredients to be eaten as soon as it is prepared.
Red ginger bud is a must in this recipe as it gives a fragrance that has no substitute. Sometimes it is not available and so have to give a skip.
I have excluded prawn paste, a must ingredient, as I am a vegetarian. Half a spoon of it is added while preparing the sauce.
Bean curd puff and the plain flour fritters ( you tiao) were brought fresh from the market.

The word 'rojak' means a ' mixture of ' in Malay language. Enjoy this tangy, crunchy flavorful mixture which is a great appetizer.