Fresh Malaysian Rojak Fruit Bites with Tamarind and Crushed Peanuts

Whisk the tamarind paste with the palm sugar and warm water until you have a smooth, pourable syrup with no lumps.

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 1/2 fresh pineapple, cut into bite-size chunks
• 1 firm green apple, cut into chunks
• 1 small jicama, peeled and cubed
• 1 cucumber, seeded and cut into chunks
• 1/2 cup roasted peanuts, crushed
• 3 tablespoons tamarind paste
• 2 tablespoons palm sugar
• 1 tablespoon toasted shrimp paste, optional
• 1 teaspoon chili paste
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons warm water
• Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

Instructions

1. Whisk the tamarind paste with the palm sugar and warm water until you have a smooth, pourable syrup with no lumps.
2. Stir the shrimp paste and chili paste into the tamarind syrup until fully combined, then sharpen it with the lime juice.
3. Taste the dressing and balance it so that sour, sweet, salty and spicy all register at once.
4. Chill the pineapple, apple, jicama and cucumber chunks for at least twenty minutes so they are cold and crisp.
5. Pat the chilled fruit dry so the dressing clings instead of sliding off.
6. Toss the fruit with just enough dressing to coat everything in a glossy dark glaze.
7. Thread the pieces onto short skewers or spoon them into small cups for easy eating.
8. Blanket the bites with crushed peanuts and toasted sesame seeds and serve immediately while they are still cold and crunchy.
9. Rojak means mixture in Malay, and the dish is exactly that: a deliberately jarring pile of unripe fruit and raw vegetables bound in a black, funky tamarind and shrimp paste dressing. Hawker vendors chop it to order and drown it in peanuts, and served as individual bites it becomes an appetizer that wakes up a hot afternoon far more effectively than anything cooked.

Nutrition (estimated, per serving)

• Calories: 190 kcal
• Protein: 5g
• Fat: 8g
• Carbohydrates: 28g
• Fiber: 5g
• Sugar: 19g
• Sodium: 310mg