Rojak is among the most eclectic salad dishes on this planet, should you ask me. This staple in Singapore’s hawker scene is in contrast to some other salad on the market, and makes getting your day by day fibre consumption a lot extra interesting. One well-liked spot for rojak is Gu Zao Rojak in Ang Mo Kio, situated inside 347 Meals Home.
Gu Zao Rojak has been working since 1998, and has since grown to grow to be one of the crucial well-liked rojak stalls within the nation. The stall is helmed by a single aged uncle, who crafts every plate of rojak by himself inside his little house.
Other than promoting rojak, he additionally roasts his personal otah, making for an excellent distinctive flavour mixture.
Uncle’s rojak is accessible at 3 completely different value factors: S$3.50, S$4.50 and S$5.50.
When you make your order, you’ll be capable of watch as Uncle chops up elements and mixes up the rojak for you. It’s also possible to decide so as to add on Uncle’s Otah for S$0.60 or S$1.20, relying on the scale you select.
What I attempted at Gu Zao Rojak
I settled for a S$4.50 portion of rojak. Once I opened the field, I used to be greeted by a beneficiant quantity of varied rojak elements topped with brown candy sauce and a liberal sprinkle of crushed peanuts. The elements used included jicama, you tiao, apple chunks, cucumbers and beancurd puffs.
Gu Zao Rojak’s candy sauce struck a pleasant stability between being candy and barely spicy. The perfume of the fermented prawn paste managed to shine by with out overpowering the opposite components of the dish, and was sturdy sufficient to furnish the much less intense elements with its sturdy flavours.
The Gu Zao Rojak uncle grills his you tiao freshly on the retailer, guaranteeing that each piece is tremendous crunchy and heat when served.
The you tiao side of the rojak didn’t disappoint me, because it was crispy and a textural delight. When you love crunchy issues as a lot as me, you’ll positively love how mild the rojak is, and I definitely loved that it wasn’t too dry or oily.
The massive items of jicama have been crunchy and crisp too, with a bland and nutty flavour. When paired with the candy rojak sauce, it turned extra flavourful, and the crushed peanuts added an additional dimension of nuttiness too.
The opposite features of the rojak, such because the apple slices and pineapples, have been nice and gave the rojak various tastes and textures. For S$4.50, Gu Zao Rojak’s rojak was tremendous value it, given the big portion and nice style.
I additionally determined to attempt Gu Zao Rojak’s Banana Leaf Otah (S$1.20), which was grilled on the retailer, similar to the you tiao. My otah got here wrapped in a banana leaf, and was secured by toothpicks on the facet.
Unwrapping the banana leaf revealed a beautiful, vibrant piece of orange otah inside. The otah was fragrant with a light-weight coconut-ty aroma and a sturdy flavour that permeated all through. It additionally had a pleasant and tolerable degree of spice that elevated its flavours with out overpowering it.
The otah had a smooth texture with barely charred corners, making it all of the extra aromatic. I made a decision to pair it with the rojak, and although I didn’t suppose that the smooth and barely mushy consistency of the otah matched effectively with the brighter flavours and crunchier textures of the rojak, I nonetheless loved each components very a lot.
When you’re a lover of otah, positively give Uncle’s Banana Leaf Otah a attempt.
Closing ideas
I used to be impressed with Gu Zao Rojak’s choices, and I’d like to return to have Uncle’s dishes once more. The rojak parts have been beneficiant, and I can positively forsee myself sharing a plate of rojak with my family and friends. I’d advocate for the rojak to be eaten contemporary although, because the you tiao items do get smooth after a while because of the moisture from the sauce.
Don’t miss out on the otah both — I discover myself randomly craving its fragrant perfume, though I’m not normally an otah particular person. That’s how good it was!
