A vibrant tropical fruit salad of unripe mango, pineapple, jicama, and cucumber dressed in a punchy sauce of palm sugar, tamarind, chili, and shrimp paste — sweet, sour, salty, and spicy in every bite.
Ingredients
1 unripe mango, sliced
200g pineapple, cubed
200g jicama (bengkuang), sliced
1 cucumber, sliced
1 guava, sliced
1 green apple, sliced
Rujak sauce: 100g palm sugar (gula Jawa), grated
2 tbsp tamarind paste
1 tsp shrimp paste (terasi), roasted
5 bird's eye chilies
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp warm water
Crushed roasted peanuts
Instructions
1Prepare all fruits: slice mango, cube pineapple, slice jicama, cucumber, guava, and apple. Keep slightly chilled.
2Make the rujak sauce: pound chilies and roasted shrimp paste in a mortar. Add grated palm sugar, tamarind paste, salt, and warm water. Pound and mix until the sugar dissolves into a thick sauce.
3Arrange the prepared fruits on a plate or in a bowl.
4Pour the spicy-sweet sauce over the fruits and toss gently to coat evenly.
5Sprinkle with crushed roasted peanuts. Serve immediately while fruits are still crisp.
Did You Know?
In Javanese tradition, rujak is associated with pregnancy cravings — if a woman craves rujak, it is said she is expecting a girl.