1 small cucumber, cut into wedges
2 slices pineapple, cut into wedges
½ small bangkwang (turnip), peeled and cut into wedges
1 cup bean sprouts, blanched
A bunch kangkong (water convolvulous), blanched
2 pei tan (century eggs), peeled and quartered
½ ju her (cured cuttlefish), cut into pieces
1-2 fried yu tiao (Chinese dough sticks)
2-3 taupok (fried bean curds)
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2 heaped tbs black bean paste
Hot water to soften
2-3 red chilli, pounded (or use 1 tbs bottled sambal olek)
1-2 tbs sugar or to taste
Assam (tamarind) water using 1 tbs tamarind paste and ¼ cup water
Juice from 1 lime
½ cup roasted peanuts, chopped finely
Tip of a bunga kantan (pink ginger bud), grated finely
In a bowl, soften the black prawn paste first with a few spoonful of hot water. Add chilli, assam water, sugar and lime juice to the softened prawn paste, stirring all the while to blend into a thick sauce. Finally, add the chopped nuts and bunga kantan, Taste to adjust seasoning. There should be a balance of salty, sour and sweet.
Cut the cucumber, pineapple and bangkwang into bite-sized wedges. Blanch the bean sprouts and kangkong in a pot of boiling water or microwave then on high for two minutes. Place yu tiao and taupok in an oven on low 100 ° C heat for 10 minutes to make them crispy. Cut into small pieces.
Assemble the salad by placing the vegetables into a bowl, followed by the pei tan and ju her. Top with crispy yu tiao and taupok. Dress with peanut and black bean paste, mix well and serve.
Taken from cookbook titled “Singapore Heritage Food” by Sylvia Tan
Whoever would have thought that Chinese hawkers could so successfully take a salad originating from Indonesia and give it an inimitable twist. Called rudjak in Indonesian, our rojak has yu tiao (Chinese dough sticks), ju her (cured cuttlefish), taupok (tofu puffs) and even pei tan (century eggs) in it. The simpler Javanese version consists mainly of fruits and vegetables. |
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