Food Picks: Mouth-watering vegetarian rojak and Thai mango salad

684 Black & White Rojak

Is vegetarian rojak sans traditional shrimp paste in the dressing actually palatable? 684 Black & White Rojak at Kimly Coffeeshop in Hougang Avenue 8 whips up a winsome White Rojak ($4.50 for small, $5.50 for medium and $6.50 for large) suitable for vegetarians and those allergic to shrimp. 

Termed “white rojak” because it replaces the inky-hued shrimp paste with light-coloured sour plum paste in the dressing, the resulting salad of vegetable and fruit has more tang and whets the appetite.

Sour plum paste makes for a more toothsome vegetarian dressing than those which rely on fermented bean paste to replace the shrimp paste. 

Stall owner Arisara Pechsena, who is from Bueng Kan in north-east Thailand, took over the kiosk in August 2022. Its previous owner had operated the kiosk for 19 years before retiring. 

Ms Arisara, 36, who first came to Singapore in 2007 and became a Singapore citizen in 2021, introduced her own tweaks to the rojak.

Thai green mango, fresh lime and torch ginger flower go into the mix.

For the white rojak, she adds a touch of assam juice and fresh lime to jazz up the tang of the sour plum paste. The torch ginger flower lends its floral perfume to the salad.

The salad mix is simple – Japanese cucumber, green mango, crispy dough fritters, tau pok and beansprouts. 

The Black Rojak ($4.50 for small, $5.50 for medium and $6.50 for large) comprises the same mix, except the dressing is the traditional shrimp paste dressing.

I suggest adding cuttlefish ($1.80). It is air-fried to order, addictively tasty and crisp, and tastes as if it has been grilled over charcoal. 

While rojak may be the stall’s signature dish, the real gem is its Thai Mango Salad ($5.50), called Yum Mamuang in Thai.

Ms Arisara prepares it as it is done in her home town, using toasted shredded coconut, which takes a painstaking hour to fry in a wok over low heat. The dressing is a mixture of Thai fish sauce and palm sugar, which also takes an hour to cook. Much care is needed to not burn the palm sugar mixture.

The salad packs heat from the use of potent Thai chilli flakes. Ms Arisara tosses chilli padi into the mix which packs a punch. If you cannot take spicy food, you may want to order your salad with less chilli.

She uses green mango shipped in from Thailand as it is crunchier and has a slightly floral flavour. 

The resulting salad has the perfect balance of tang and the rich sweet nuttiness of the toasted shredded coconut. My only gripe is that the roasted cashews that garnish the salad are slightly soft. 

Where: 684 Black & White Rojak, 01-967 Kimly Coffeeshop, 684 Hougang Avenue 8
MRT: Hougang
Open: Noon to 8pm, Wednesdays to Mondays. Closed on Tuesdays
Tel: 9675-7550