Easy Rojak Recipe

Rojak is a Malay word which means a fruit and raw vegetable salad, which is mixed with sauce. In my hometown in Kuala Belait, my favourite hawker sells rojak, laksa, and chicken rice. I tried asking a former classmate for her family’s hawker stall Chinese style rojak recipe to no success. I have been missing home lately, so I have been recreating dishes that remind me of home, using ingredients that I can get here. I couldn’t find fresh cuttlefish (sotong), so I used frozen cuttlefish balls. Cuttlefish balls are more kid-friendly anyway. (Kids normally would trust food that is round in shape; Art at least gave it a lick.)

rojak recipe

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Will kids eat this?
It is sweet, tangy and mildly spicy. Art and Chip ate cucumbers, pineapples and tried a few fried tofu. I remember loving rojak as a kid. I was pretty excited when I got the taste of the sauce right.

Rojak Sauce

Rojak sauce

The most important ingredient, besides Mang Kuang (jicama), is the sauce. Traditionally calamansi is used; I can’t find calamansi in Edmonton, so I used lime. Zesting the lime gives it extra flavour and releases natural oils into the rojak sauce. Can’t find the exact ingredient? Find a close substitute. If you can’t find Tean’s Gourmet Crispy Prawn Chilli, same amount or less of dried chilli paste would work. I really like using the crispy prawn chilli as I found it gave the right amount of heat. My family doesn’t like overly spicy. So if you love spicy, increase the intensity by adding 1 to 2 tbsp more.

For the shrimp paste, I used sauteed shrimp paste (also known as belacan). I don’t recommend making it from scratch! It’s easier to buy it in a jar. After all, it is easy to make rojak. If you can buy rojak sauce in a jar, you can skip making the sauce and go straight to preparing the ingredients! (Hey, I am using canned pineapples for this recipe. It is okay to take shortcuts, sometimes.)

Fruit and Vegetables

I had to ask my mom and brother to refresh my memory of what goes into rojak. They both still live in Brunei. My mom said the main ingredient is Mang Kuang (jicama). Peel it and slice, she said. There are also cucumbers, pineapples, crispy fried tofu, and sotong (cuttlefish). Rojak is also often topped with crushed roasted peanuts.

If you have never had jicama before, it is a root vegetable that tastes almost like an apple, but not quite. It is delicious raw.

To make the tofu puffs crispy, toast it in a 375F (190C) oven for 10 minutes. Use scissors to cut into half.

Toasted tofu puffs

Cuttlefish balls usually come frozen. If you chose to use cuttlefish balls, make sure you thaw before you start the recipe. I chose to pan fry the raw cuttlefish balls for around 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Since Rojak is a side dish, you can pair it with Char Siu & steamed rice.

My husband loves this recipe since it incorporate plentiful amounts of fruit and vegetables; the spice heat level is just right to his taste. After sending a photo of the dish to my cousin, I’ve received a request to make this for a potluck. Deal! This is so easy to make for a potluck, once it is safe to do so again.

Rojak Recipe
Easy Rojak Recipe
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Votes: 4
Rating: 4.25
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Servings Prep Time
4 people 20 minutes
Cook Time
18 minutes
Servings Prep Time
4 people 20 minutes
Cook Time
18 minutes
Rojak Recipe
Easy Rojak Recipe
BigOven - Save recipe or add to grocery list
Yum
Votes: 4
Rating: 4.25
You:
Rate this recipe!
Print Recipe
Servings Prep Time
4 people 20 minutes
Cook Time
18 minutes
Servings Prep Time
4 people 20 minutes
Cook Time
18 minutes
Ingredients
Servings: people
Units:
Recipe Notes
  1. In a 375F oven, toast tofu puffs until crispy for 10 minutes. Set aside. Cut the tofu puffs in half using scissors.
  2. Slice cucumbers.
  3. Peel jicama and cut into slices. Thick or thin is your preference. Thick for some crunchiness; thin for melt in your mouth texture.
  4. In a large bowl, add sugar, salt, crispy prawn chilli, sauteed shrimp paste, tamarind paste, lime zest and lime juice and stir.
  5. Roughly chop some peanuts. Add 4 tbsp of roasted peanuts into the sauce.
  6. When the frozen cuttlefish balls have thawed, pan fry until golden for 8 to 10 minutes.
  7. Add the cuttlefish balls to the sauce. If using canned pineapple, drain the juice. (Save the juice for making a smoothie later) Add cucumbers, jicama, pineapple to the bowl. Use a wooden spoon to stir well.
  8. Just before serving, add the toasted tofu puffs. Mix well until sauce coats the ingredients.
  9. Add another 2 tbsp chopped peanuts (or more as you like) as toppings.
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12 thoughts on “Easy Rojak Recipe”

  1. What an interesting and delicious looking recipe! I have to say, the more I learn, the more I really want to explore Malay cooking. I just don’t know enough about it, and recipes like this are so deliciously different! I love jicama, but often find myself trying to figure out new things to do with it, and this is perfect!

    And btw, you’re right about cuttlefish balls. I don’t know what it is about kids, but you turn the food into a meatball and you’re golden. Lol.

      1. I love rojak,I missed Brunei food.KB the best!!! If god permits I could go back again that would be great!!!

  2. I love this post. It’s wonderful to learn about a recipe that I’ve never heard of, and really a cuisine that’s pretty unfamiliar to me. I like to make jicama slaw, but that’s about it for my experience with that ingredient. The whole dish sounds amazing. Thanks for sharing.

  3. It’s funny because whenever a recipe is kid friendly to me it also means spouse friendly! haha Love that this is suitable for potlucks also. 🙂

  4. This looks delicious! I should make it once the stores are open again and I can find all the ingredients – my boyfriend would love me for making this because it contains so many vegetables and fruits.

  5. What a cool recipe, I’d never even heard of rojak before! I really lived the spice mixture for the dressing and that I could make it ahead. Thanks, it’s great!

  6. Oh this sounds so interesting! I love the look of the sauce and the puffed tofu. I’ve never heard of cuttlefish balls before but we have a few awesome Asian grocers here that may have them tucked in their freezer. Pinning this to try later!

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