Rojak
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Rojak is a dish commonly found in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia (where it is called rujak). The term rojak is literally translated as mixture or salad. There are a few major variations of rojak.
Fruit Rojak
Fruit rojak is kind of salad consisting typically of pineapple, cucumber, tofu and jicama with a thick dark belacan sauce. Often cubes of fried dough crullers (youtiao) are sprinkled on top sparingly, much like croutons in a western salad. The contents of this sauce are as varied as the vendors selling fruit rojak but in the sauce lies the differentiating factor between a good rojak and a bad rojak. Generally the sauce is black and has a smell which is slightly fishy. It has a viscosity much like treacle. The sauce tastes spicy, sweet and fishy but not in an unpleasant or offensive way. The ingredients of the sauce will typically contain belacan (dried shrimp paste), sugar, chilli, thick soy sauce and other spices. Crushed peanuts give added crunchiness to the rojak mix. Sometimes boiled squid is added to this mix also
Mamak Rojak
Mamak rojak (also commonly called Indian rojak in Singapore) is a kind of salad in which pieces of boiled potato, fried dough, prawn fritters, hard boiled egg, bean sprouts and slivers of cucumber are slathered liberally with a thick, spicy peanut sauce. However, in the Northern states of Malaysia like Penang, Kedah and Perlis, it is called pasembor. Sometimes boiled squid is added to this mix also. Mamak rojak is a meal unto itself. The best rojak is sold by mobile vendors. These Indian Muslims (Mamak) used to peddle the rojak using modified side car motorcycles. The side cars were modified to become rojak preparation counters. With the increasing affluence enjoyed by Malaysians, these rojak vendors now peddle their rojak using converted small trucks.
The rojak peddler would park his truck at the roadside under a shady tree. Chairs and sometimes folding tables are placed in the shade for the customers who do not want take-aways. The chendol peddler usually sells his sweet coconut milk-based iced desert conveniently by the rojak peddler. In a symbiotic relationship, the fire of the hot rojak is deliciously quenched by the cold sweet coconut milk of the chendol - a heavenly combination enjoyed by all.
Mee rojak
Mee rojak is boiled yellow noodles coated with the same sauce as mamak rojak. At times it will feature a mixture of yellow noodles as well as the other components of mamak rojak.