Earlier this week folks chimed in about restaurant salad recreations. One of my favorite restaurant salads here in Los Angeles is the rojak at Singapore's Banana Leaf. Their vegetarian-friendly version of the fruit and vegetable salad served in Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia is spicy, tangy, sweet, and unbelievably refreshing. I won't stop ordering it at the restaurant, but I'm happy to have come up with a homemade version that doesn't require trekking across town.
Rojak or rujak means "mixture" in Malay (sometimes it's translated as "wild mix" or "eclectic mix") and the fruits and vegetables in rojak salad vary by region and cook. At Singapore's Banana Leaf, the salad includes cucumber, jicama, pineapple, green apple, spinach, bean sprouts, and crispy fried tofu, tossed with a lively dressing and a handful of crushed peanuts. From sweet to sour and crunchy to juicy, these contrasts of textures and flavors are immensely satisfying.
Hitting all the tastebuds, the dressing for this version of rojak salad includes sour tamarind pulp, a spicy chile pepper sauce called sambal oelek, and palm sugar, which has a richer, more caramel-like flavor than white cane sugar. Look for these in markets with Southeast Asian ingredients, or order them at Amazon.com. Tamarind may also be found at Indian and Mexican markets, and if you want to go the DIY route for sambal oelek, there's a recipe online at The Asian Grandmothers Cookbook. (If using the tamarind paste that comes in a block, such as the one pictured above, see this post for tips.)
Traditionally, rojak salads often include shrimp paste (belacan); if you aren't a vegetarian, feel free to throw that into the dressing, too. I have also seen rojak salads with green mango or papaya, banana, pomelo, potato, and green beans, as well as eggs and Chinese fried bread (youtiao). So it's quite all right if you don't have the exact roster of ingredients included in the recipe below. Rojak is flexible.
Rojak Salad
Serves 41 (12- or 14-ounce) block extra firm tofu
Vegetable oil for frying
2 tablespoons tamarind pulp
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons palm sugar or brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon sambal oelek (or more, to taste)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cucumber, peeled and cut into chunks or slices
1 Granny Smith apple, cut into chunks or slices
1 cup jicama chunks or slices
1 cup pineapple chunks or slices
1/2 cup unsalted or lightly salted peanuts, crushed
Fry the tofu: Cut tofu into 1-inch cubes and gently press between clean kitchen towels or paper towels to absorb excess moisture. Add 1/2-inch oil to a skillet and heat over medium-high. Oil should be hot enough that a small piece of tofu sizzles but does not burn. Fry the tofu cubes in a single layer until crispy on all sides. This may need to be done in batches. Drain and cool on a towel-lined plate.
Make the dressing: Whisk together the tamarind, vinegar, sugar, sambal, and salt.
Assemble the salad: Toss the cooled tofu, cucumber, apple, jicama, pineapple, and half of the peanuts together in a large bowl and toss with the dressing.
Garnish with remaining peanuts and serve immediately.
Related: Hot Spiced Drink from Indonesia: Bandrek
(Images: Emily Ho)
How To Cook Fluffy, Tasty Quinoa
A Valentine's Champagne Cocktail Recipe: From Russia with Love
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Colorful Kitchen Bo...
10 Presidents' Day Sales Worth Shopping
Molly's Coloring Book Modern Apartment
Comments (7)
I love Sambal Oelek and have used it for years. Sometimes I dip a fork in the jar and then beat eggs to scramble with what clings to the tines. Just make sure you get the pure chile paste as some have other ingredients added. The best brand is the one pictured. I get it at my local Albertsons and any other grocery store here in Tucson, not just speciality markets. I use it in Mexican food as well as Oriental. I use it in salad dressings, dips, marinades, etc. Delicious stuff.
Hooray! You just made my day! Grew up in LA and LOVE the Banana Leaf; the Rojak salad was my absolute fave. Now that I live in DC, I haven't been able to find an acceptable substitute for the Banana Leaf. Now I will give this a try at home!
I just made rujak manis for a dinner party a couple of days ago! If you feel concerned that you don't have the right produce for rujak, head over to the wikipedia page for it: pretty much everything in the world is on the list of possible ingredients because there are so many ethnic and regional variations.
Also, my Chinese Indonesian mother-in-law recommended that next time I shred the jicama with a grater rather than chopping it - it's really firm compared to everything else, plus it's a root vegetable and will more easily soak up the flavors of the dressing. I bought enough produce for two salads, so we will be having it again at home soon!
This looks superb. Can I use Tamicon Tamarind Paste? I'm going to have to order this component from Amazon, so I want to get the right thing.
This recipe looks and can imagine it tastes amazing and I can't wait to make it for my family!
Emily's finished salad appears to be a refreshingly-lite hybrid between the traditional Fruit Rojak & Penang Rojak that are sold by hawkers in S'pore & Malaysia. Fruit Rojak has taupok (compressed beancurd that becomes puffy upon deep frying), but excludes tart fruits like green apples (&/or unripe mangoes). The reverse is true for Penang Rojak.
Both the Fruit Rojak & Penang Rojak tend to be liberally drowned in thick peanut-covered belacan dressing, which makes the salad look very brown & soggy. It also tastes somewhat salty & cloyingly-heavy (despite the presence of the fruits).
I personally prefer Emily's unusual version. :)
I miss rojak! The Singapore edition also uses torch ginger/bunga kantan http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etlingera_elatior. The hawker would pound the bud in the mortar he uses to make the sauce before adding the rest of the ingredients. Thx for linking to my blog, Emily!