A many-splendoured salad

Rojak, an assortment of ingredients bound by a piquant sauce, is a tasty hodge-podge usually eaten as a snack on its own or as a side dish

By Tee Hun Ching
Pictures by Wong Kwai Chow, James Hodson and Tan Suan Ann

MR WILLIAM ANG offers a simple reason for the appeal of rojak.

'There's something for everyone,' he says.

Rojak (above) is a tasty hodge-podge of a salad bound by a piquant sauce usually eaten as a snack or as a side dish.

'It's sweet, salty, sour and spicy all rolled into one,' says the 47-year-old, who has been operating William's Rojak at Far East Plaza's Cahaya Restaurant for the past 18 years.

That is the very essence of rojak -- an Asian salad of assorted ingredients and flavours.

It might be feckless to some, but the combination seems to go down well with most.

Mr Ang believes the Singaporean version evolved from Indonesia's rudjak, which consists mainly of fruit and vegetables such as green mango, jambu air, pineapple and turnip.

Penang's famous rojak adds fried nuggets like tau gua (dried beancurd) and cuttlefish to the spread and is drenched with hay kor (black shrimp paste).

Some hawkers here even throw in slivers of jellyfish, century egg and chunks of dough fritters.

Mr and Mrs William Ang have been operating William's Rojak at Far East Plaza's Cahaya Restaurant for the past 18 years..

The secret to good rojak lies mainly in the gravy, say most of the hawkers interviewed.

They buy top-quality hay kor from Penang, which they then blend with other ingredients and cook with diluted tamarind juice.

The common goodies that make up the gravy include ground roasted peanuts, deep-fried garlic and chilli.

Roasted belacan, sweet sauce and sesame seeds may also be added.

Good rojak also boasts fresh and crisp morsels that are crunchy and juicy, adds Mr Cheng Kok San, 70, of the popular Toa Payoh rojak at Old Airport Road.

He grills his dough fritters over charcoal and drizzles the gravy over the assorted ingredients just before the dish is served.

For takeaway orders, he packs the sauce separately.

70-year-old Mr Cheng Kok San perfected his rojak recipe after ditching his job in a publishing firm over 30 years ago.

This is to prevent the fruit, vegetables and fried morsels from becoming limp and soggy, he says.

But this Chinese-style rojak is just one version that is sold here, food critic Violet Oon points out.

The Indian rojak usually comes without fruit and comprises squid, sweet potato, eggs and pulses.

The ingredients are fried in batter and often take on orange-pinkish hues, she notes.

In search of the best Chinese rojak, Sunday Plus' food panel picks four stalls in Singapore that strike the best balance between the tangy flavours of the popular dish.

One favourite, Hoover rojak at Whampoa Drive, had to be left out of the list as it is currently under renovation.

• The Singaporean version of rojak possibly evolved from Indonesia's rudjak, which consists mainly of fruit and vegetables such as green mango,jambu air, pineapple and turnip.
  
  
• The secret to good rojak lies mainly in the gravy -- a black pungent, piquant sauce known as hay kor, which is then blended with ingredients like ground roasted peanuts, deep-fried garlic and chilli and diluted with tamarind juice.
  
  
• Indian rojak usually comes without fruit and comprises squid, sweet potato, eggs and pulses which is then fried in batter and served with a sweet chilli sauce.
  
  
• The word rojak is often used to describe Singaporean English, or Singlish -- a veritable mish-mash of English language which incorporates Malay, Chinese and Tamil words.
  
  

• In Connecticutt
• In Chicago
• In Kuala Lumpur
• In Boston
• In Hongkong
• In New Zealand
  Rojak recipes:
  
• Nonya (Straits Chinese) version
• Penang version
• Indian version
  Nutrition value of rojak

• Join our rojak chat
• Have more to say? Email us