Homemade Penang Rojak

Penang Gurney Drive is famous with its street hawker food. Many years ago, Gurney Drive Hawker Food stalls was parked just next to the beach, because of the bad human habits, lot of waste were thrown to the sea and causing sea pollution. Then, the government moved the food stalls further away from the beach and hopefully this action help in deter people from throwing rubbish directly to the sea. Today, Gurney Drive is no longer the same as the one I knew, however the hawker food stalls still there. There are wide variety of Penang hawker food available. One of my favourite street food is Rojak or fruits salad with thick shrimp paste on it :)

Hey, I think I am getting old! My memories get so clear when thinking of the past. May be is not the food that I'm craving but the home where the heart belong to.

My version of rojak is without pineapple because I don't like eating fresh pineapple :) and at the time of making this salad, I can't get hold of water apples (jambu), so this rojak is without water apple :) but with lot of MANGOES!! and I know what is missing from this salad ....the sotong bakar (grilled squid)!



Recipe adapted from Malaysian Favourites Cookbook by Wendy Hutton with changes

Ingredients for the fruit may varies on your own desired:
cucumber, cut in irregular bite-size pcs
bangkuang (yam bean), peel and cut in bite-size pcs
tau pok (deep fried bean curd squares), grill in oven for 15 mins at 200C, until it turns crispy, cut in bite-size
unripe (green) mangoes or not yet fully ripe mangoes (will be sweeter than the green one), peel and cut in bite-size
green apples, cut in bite-size
guava, cut in bite-size
ginger bud, thinly sliced
75g unsalted dry roasted peanuts, crushed
2 tbsps sesame seeds, toasted until golden brown

Sauce:
8 dried red chillies, sliced and soaked in hot water to soften
4 tbsps hae koh (shrimp paste)
1 tsp belachan (dried shrimp paste), toasted
1 tbsp hot water (add more water if you don't like the sauce to be too thick)
1 tbsp dark soy sauce (omitted)
60ml tamarind juice (add more if required)
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt (omitted)

Step:
1. To make the sauce: grind the chillies to a smooth paste in a blender. Add all ingredients for sauce except salt and blend well. Taste and add salt if desired.

2. Place cucumber, bangkuang, tau pok, green apples, mangoes, guava in a bowl. Pour over the sauce and toss, transfer to a serving dish and scatter with the sliced ginger bud, peanuts and sesame seeds. Serve immediately.