A properly made rojak is hard to beat. A unique and somewhat bizarre snack, it’s difficult to describe what rojak actually tastes like, especially so if you’re trying to explain it to someone who’s never tried it.
This local delicacy encompasses a myriad of random ingredients from fruit, vegetables, century egg to fried dough fritters, drenched in a thick, sticky-sweet and savoury prawn-paste sauce and sprinkled liberally with crushed peanut. It boasts a strong aroma of dried prawn but has sweet, savoury undertones. The peanut gives it a nutty accent and the various ingredients provide freshness and texture.
There are plenty of places that sell rojak in Singapore, but if you want one that’s absolutely top-notch, authentic and entirely hand-made, look no further than to Lau Hong Ser Rojak located along Onan Road. The icing on the cake? The owner even goes as far as to charcoal grill his ingredients prior to mixing up his rojak.
Prepare to wait for ~30 mins at Lau Hong Ser Rojak during peak hours.
At this humble stall, everything is prepared from scratch by the owner. From concocting the hei ko (prawn paste sauce), cutting up vegetables and fruit, firing up charcoal, grilling various ingredients to mixing them all up to be served.
It’s one heck of a tiring job, but owner Mr Lim has been doing it every single day for the past 40+ years now and based on our interaction with him, he doesn’t plan to stop anytime soon.
The grilling of the dough fritters, dried squid and tau pok (beancurd) is something of a rarity nowadays. Many hawkers prefer to skip the additional, painstaking step of having to fire up and sustain a charcoal fire.
It might seem like a small step. But the difference it makes to the overall taste of the dish is significant. The prior grilling imbues a smoky, toasted flavour to them; lending them a deep robust flavour and also gives the ingredients crispy edge.
For S$7.20, we got a pretty sizeable portion comprising fried tau pok (S$0.80), fried dough fritters (S$1.40 per piece), century egg (S$1), dried cuttlefish (S$2 to S$6), cucumber, bean sprouts, turnip and chunks of pineapple.
The vegetable and fruit components provided a nice refreshing lift to the rojak, cutting through the toasted flavours with a mix of brightness and sweetness.
The grilled dough fritters tasted like fried bread and went exceptionally well with the sweet hei ko. The crushed peanuts gave the dish a lovely crunch and a nutty aroma as well.
Disclaimer: Uncover Asia made an anonymous visit and paid for their own meal.
Address: 281 Onan Road, #02-14, Singapore 424661
Opening Hours: 4.30PM – 1.30AM, Closed on Sundays
Contact: +65 9466 8250
Nearest MRT Station: Eunos
Read our guide to 24/7 restaurants in the east of Singapore.
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