Rojak: The evolution of Singapore’s iconic salad

From chili crab to chicken rice, char kway teow to laksa, Singapore's bustling hawker centers are a must-see for anyone seeking out the flavorful yet affordable dishes the Little Red Dot is famous for.

But for those exploring the vibrant local food scene, one dish might have been overlooked: rojak – also known as Singapore's signature salad.

Singaporeans have a deep, almost fanatical, love for this regional dish, which is far from the leafy green salads familiar in Western cuisine.

The word 'rojak' means 'mixed' in Malay, and the dish is a traditional salad of fruits and vegetables, widely enjoyed in Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia. In Singapore, its rich history dates back to the days when rojak was sold from pushcarts and bicycles along the city's streets.

Across the Malay Archipelago, this simple salad typically includes pineapples, jicama (Chinese turnip), prawn paste, and tamarind. Over time, the preparation has evolved, incorporating local flavors and cultural influences from each region.

In Singapore, rojak is a vibrant combination of tropical fruits like pineapple (occasionally star fruit), along with both raw and blanched vegetables such as water spinach, bean sprouts, cucumber, and jicama. It's freshly tossed in a large bowl and topped with youtiao (crispy dough fritters), toasted tofu, ground peanuts, and a sprinkle of torch ginger flower.

The standout feature for many is the bold dressing – a flavorful blend of prawn paste, sugar, tamarind, lime juice, and chili paste. This tangy, sweet, and spicy sauce is the perfect complement to the dish, delivering a burst of complex flavors in every bite.

At Lau Hong Ser Rojak, a 46-year-old stall located on the second floor of Singapore’s Dunman Food Centre, second-generation owner Lim Khai Ngee still prepares the dough fritters, fried tofu puffs, and dried cuttlefish for his rojak over a traditional charcoal grill – a rare and cherished sight.

Lim’s rojak sauce is also a standout – a thick, sticky prawn paste concoction that wraps around the ingredients like pineapple, jicama, cucumber, and more, imparting a savory umami that makes this time-honored stall a must-visit for rojak enthusiasts.

It’s important to note that this is different from Indian rojak, which, while sharing the same name, features mostly deep-fried snacks – think dough fritters, battered prawns, tofu, and potatoes – paired with a thick, sweet chili dip. Indian rojak is typically sold by Indian Muslim vendors, while the Chinese version, like Lim’s, is more common.

The roots of rojak

While rojak is widely enjoyed, its exact origins remain uncertain. However, to Damian D’Silva, chef at Restaurant Kin and a respected expert on Singapore’s heritage cuisine, the dish’s connection to Indonesia is undeniable.

"Rujak (from Indonesia) or rojak (from Singapore/Malaysia) has its origins in Indonesia," says D’Silva. "In fact, rujak has been enjoyed across various provinces in Indonesia for centuries."

The Singapore version of rojak, he explains, is a vibrant fusion of Malay, Chinese, and Peranakan influences, with prawns and dough fritters reflecting Chinese traditions, and torch ginger, chilies, and tamarind representing Malay/Peranakan flavors.

"In the past, street hawkers used to sell this dish from pushcarts, wrapping it in opeh leaves, folded and secured with a toothpick," recalls D’Silva, who had his first taste of rojak from a pushcart on Hill Street back in the 1960s.

He notes that the ingredients often varied depending on the fruit season. Occasionally, green mangoes, rose apples, kedongdong (a sour fruit), and fragrant mangoes (kwini) appeared, but staples like cucumber, jicama, pineapples, kangkong (water spinach), and dough fritters have always been part of the mix.

In Indonesia, where rujak is also part of the traditional Javanese prenatal ceremony known as Naloni Mitoni (held in the seventh month of pregnancy), there are many regional variations of the dish, each with its own unique twist.

"Aceh is known for its unique version of rujak, called rujak Blang Bintang (named after a district in Aceh)," explains William Wongso, an Indonesian culinary expert. "In addition to the typical fruits found in rujak buah, this salad also includes ingredients like sago palm and the shell of the kawista fruit."

Wongso notes that the most common type of rujak in Indonesia is rujak buah (fruit rujak), where unripe fruits such as mango, pineapple, papaya, or rose apple are mixed with a tangy and spicy dressing made from palm sugar, tamarind, chilies, and shrimp paste.

In 2015, local comedian and host Hossan Leong declared that rojak "best represents the history of Singapore’s food culture," describing it as a "wonderful blend of the diverse tastes that define our culinary heritage."

Raising the profile of Singapore’s beloved salad

Thanks to its popularity among locals, this dish has started to appear in more upscale settings, offering chefs the chance to give their menus a stronger sense of local identity.

Three-Michelin-starred Odette, which has claimed the top spot on Asia's 50 Best Restaurants list for two consecutive years, introduced 'Promenade a Singapour' as part of its modern French tasting menu in April 2019.

Chef Julien Royer’s take on rojak at Odette is a tribute to Singapore’s iconic dish. His version combines five baby greens and around ten types of flowers—such as blue pea flower and torch ginger flower—all grown in Singapore, along with ingredients like jicama, peanuts, and pickled ginger flowers. The salad is topped with a dressing made from shio kombu powder and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Though it lacks the traditional pungent shrimp paste, the restaurant succeeds in offering a refined interpretation that most locals will easily recognize as a uniquely Singaporean creation.

At the one Michelin-starred Labyrinth, Chef Han Li Guang’s 'Homage to My Singapore' tasting menu also features a rojak-inspired dish that highlights around ten varieties of local flora, including cat whiskers, Okinawa spinach, and Indian borage.

Accompanying these greens are scoops of cempedak and jackfruit ice cream, with a sprinkle of peanuts. The dressing stays true to traditional flavors, blending shrimp paste with the tangy sweetness of stingless bee honey from Batam, Indonesia.

While rojak has maintained its status as the quintessential local salad in Singapore, it has recently been joined in local dining by another dish—kerabu.

Kerabu, described by The Star newspaper as a 'vibrant, tropical salad made with vegetables and herbs, dressed in a spicy sambal, coconut, and lime,' is a long-forgotten dish that emerged in Malay cuisine as a way to repurpose leftover raw and cooked ingredients.

However, according to D’Silva, who has both Nyonya and Eurasian heritage, kerabu is better understood as 'heritage salsa.'

'The most familiar type of kerabu is what you’ll still find in some Nasi Padang stalls,' says D’Silva. 'This version typically features bean sprouts, winged beans, daun pegaga, onions, and toasted coconut, all seasoned with lime juice and salt.'

At Restaurant Kin, where D’Silva leads the kitchen, he recently added a new dish to the menu: Kerabu Ikan Goreng. This appetizer features wild-caught Spanish mackerel, complemented by fresh tomatoes, briefly blanched long beans, shallots, chili, turmeric leaf, ginger flower, and a tangy calamansi dressing.

'There are many variations of kerabu,' says D’Silva, 'But many of the ingredients—such as papaya flowers—have become less common, so we don’t hear much about them anymore.'

However, the self-taught chef remains hopeful that with time and the support of local farmers, some of these 'forgotten' plants can make a comeback.

With this in mind, he’s optimistic about reintroducing more varieties of kerabu to his heritage menu, giving them the recognition they deserve.