[Tony Looi]

In Malaysia, Rojak is a popular dish that consists of ingredients such as water chestnuts, cucumbers, pineapple, squid, and mango. It also may include other possible ingredients like deep-fried tofu garnished with finely chopped peanuts. Rojak is often served with sambal. Rojak is popular street food in Malaysia, most commonly sold at Malay and Chinese hawkers. The dish is also known by many other nicknames that invoke similar sentiments, such as: Gudeg (Malay), Gado-gado (Sundanese), Gow kyut from the Thai language.

Rojak can be found at stalls along the streets of Malaysia’s capital city Kuala Lumpur. This dish is also available in many other parts of Malaysia, such as in the states of Selangor and Penang where there are many street hawkers selling this dish. Each state has their own twist on rojak as the taste, ingredients and preparation method might not be the same for each state. The distinctive appearance of rojak can be attributed to the use of different spices. Rojak is not only popular throughout Malaysia, but it also enjoys popularity abroad.

Rojak is prepared by first frying some of the ingredients with a little oil. The ingredients are then ground into a paste using a mortar and pestle or food processor. Lastly, this paste is mixed with the rest of the ingredients and heated in a pan. This dish is commonly eaten with sambal, a chili mixture that consists of ground red chilies and shrimp paste.