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Rujak buah
Rujak buah: crunchy tropical fruit with a sticky tamarind, palm-sugar and chilli dip
Across Java, rujak buah is the afternoon snack that office workers share from a paper cone: crisp green mango, jicama, pineapple and cucumber dragged through a dark, sticky sauce of palm sugar, tamarind and crushed chilli. Hawkers usually add shrimp paste; many make a version without, which is what this is, with a few roasted peanuts for body. The mix of sour fruit and hot, sweet sauce wakes you up on a humid day. Chef's tip: chill the fruit but keep the sauce at room temperature, so it stays loose enough to cling.
- Total time
- 15 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the fruit
For the sauce
Method
0/3 doneStep 1: Pound 3 bird's eye chillies and ½ tsp salt in a mortar to a rough paste. Add 2 tbsp roasted peanuts and crush them until broken into small bits.
4 minStep 2: Add 3 ½ oz palm sugar and 1 tbsp tamarind paste and pound and stir until the sugar melts into a thick, glossy sauce. Loosen with 3 tbsp warm water a spoon at a time until it drips slowly off a fruit stick. Common mistake: using soft brown sugar; it makes a thin, one-note syrup without palm sugar's smoky depth.
5 minStep 3: Cut 1 green unripe mango, 9 oz pineapple, 7 oz jicama (bengkuang), 1 cucumber and 1 tart green apple just before serving so they stay crisp. Arrange on a plate with the sauce in a bowl for dipping, or toss everything together for eating straight away.
6 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 210 kcal
- Protein
- 3 g
- Carbs
- 44 g
- Fat
- 4 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does rujak buah take?
- About 15 minutes in total.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of green unripe mango?
- Tinned mango pulp, same weight.
- What can I use instead of cucumber?
- Courgette, same weight (in salads, use young ones).
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