Rojak - Malaysian Salad

Rojak means a mixture of many different things. It is the same as the salad you can find in western countries. This dish has been very much appreciated by malaysian. There are many types of Rojak, malay Rojak, indian Rojak, Penang Rojak, fruits Rojak, Rojak with cuttlefish and others.

In Malay Rojak, ingredients used are yau cha kway, pieces of turnip, cucumber and pineapplesare mixed with a sweet gravy with peanuts. You may add in chicken meat and chili.

While in indian Rojak, the ingredients are choosen by the eater from a wide variety of indian food. The food are dipped into a hot, spicy sauce before it is eaten.

Penang Rojak is a famous dish in Penang. Fresh pineapple, cucumber, sweet turnip (bangkwang), star fruit, green mangoes, pink guavas, bean curds (tau kua) are mixed in hoi sin sauce, prawn paste (hae ko), white sugar, chili powder, shrimp paste (belacan) and finally garnished with pounded roasted ground nuts.

Rojak Sauce, the sauce is made from a thick black molasses-like paste called haeko, pronounced 'hey-ko' or Prawn Paste [Otak Udang, in Malay]. This is combined with palm sugar, tamarind paste and other ingredients. Pineapple, apple, guava, green mango, jicama and cucumber are tossed in this sauce with crushed peanuts and sesame seeds. Thai Bird chilies are added to give this exotic salad a fiery kick!

Rojak could be easily available in hawker centers and food courts. The price is reasonable. Therefore, it is a great value for your money.