Translating to "shaved salad" in Bahasa Indonesia, Rujak Serut is a lovely little salad with shredded jicama, sweet potato, green mango, pomegranate, and pineapple, all brought together with tart tamarind. This fool-proof recipe is a great way to add fresh flavors to your favey grilled foods.
This beloved street food showcases how Indonesians are always skyrocketing flavor in things as simple as fruit salad! It’s the same special magic that turns simple shallots into the perfect flavor of sambal matah, green mango into asninan buah, and peppers are turned into Sambal Dabu Dabu.
Grab a mixing bowl and see how this recipe turns boring ol’ sweet potatoes into legendary Indonesian street food. Let’s dive in!
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🥰Why you are going to adore the ever-loving heck outta this recipe
✊ Vegan AF and GF: Like all of my Indonesian recipes, this sweet potato slaw is completely plant-based. It just happens to be completely gluten-free too!
🔥The prettiest darned rojak you ever did see: While you can get away making this the “quick and dirty” way by just shredding the veggies, I’m gonna show you how to do it with a julienne cut, which keeps the whole thing looking gorgeous!
🍍 Piney Power: The inclusion of diced pineapple isn't just about sweetness – it adds a tangy twist that complements the other ingredients perfectly. You can use fresh pineapple like I do, or canned diced pineapple if that’s your thing. Pineapple is good for you and fun, but if you hate having fun and eating pineapple, you can leave it out and look at boring ol’ spreadsheets all day if that’s your thing!
✅ Tested and Approved Worldwide: This recipe has undergone rigorous testing across kitchens worldwide. The meticulous adjustments guarantee consistent success, making it a reliable go-to for anyone, anywhere.
🍠Notable ingredients and substitutions
Sweet Potato (Ubi Jalar)
Ubiquitous in Indonesian cuisine, sweet potatoes bring a delightful sweetness and vibrant orange hue to dishes like biji salak, and mee rebus.
Green Mango (Mangga Muda)
Raw mango (as in the hard, unripe kind) contributes a burst of acidity to balance the sweetness. I’d recommend using green mangos for making mango pickle, banh trang tron, and ensaladang talong.
Pomegranate Seeds (Biji Delima)
For a burst of color and antioxidants, add optional pomegranate seeds. My shakarkandi ki chaat recipe has a detailed walk through for you to follow to efficiently remove the seeds from the fruit, which you can use in this Rujak Serut, and my mutabal, and kisir recipe.
Tamarind Concentrate (Asam Jawa)
Asam Jawa, or tamarind, lends a tangy depth to everything from tom yum paste and Indonesian dishes like sambal goreng and asinan sayur. Substitute with tamarind pulp blended with a little water or lime juice for a slightly different vibe.
Palm Sugar (Gula Jawa)
Palm sugar is a low glycemic sweetener made from palm sap, and is used in SO MANY Indonesian desserts, like klepon, kuih dadar, and bubur sumsum. Use coconut or brown sugar as substitutes. There isn’t a TON of added sugar in this recipe, because the fruits and veggies provide some of their own sweetness, but it is there to offset the tanginess of the tamarind.
Bird’s Eye Chilies
Cabe Rawit, or bird’s eye chilies, bring the heat to the dressing. Be cautious – a little goes a long way. These chilies are also used in classics like tempe mendoan, bihun goreng, and tom yum fried rice. Substitute with serrano or jalapeños for a milder kick if you prefer less heat.
*See the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact quantities, nutritional info, and detailed cooking directions.
🤯Variations
Balinese Vibes: Give your Rujak Serut a Balinese flair by incorporating shredded young coconut and a teaspoon of Bumbu Bali spice paste. This traditional variation adds a creamy texture and a subtle sweetness that beautifully complements the existing flavors. Garnish with a sprinkle of roasted peanuts for an extra crunch.
Javanese Style Rujak Serut: For a Javanese-inspired version, add fried tofu cubes that have been tossed in nuoc cham or nam prik pao to the salad. The tofu soaks up the delicious dressing and provides a hearty and protein-packed element. Finish with a sprinkle of crispy fried shallots.
Creamy Peeny: Some folks like to top this with peanut sauce. If you want to give that a shot, make one of the simple peanut sauces from either my ketoprak or goi cuon recipe, and you are good to go!
📖 How to make perfect rujak serut
Nail this perfectly on your first shot by following these step-by-step instructions with important tips. Or you can follow along with the easy-to-print recipe card towards the bottom of this page.
Step One
Assemble the Salad:
Mix julienned/grated jicama, sweet potato, green mango, diced pineapple, and optional pomegranate seeds in a large bowl.
Step Two
Craft the Dressing:
In another bowl, blend tamarind concentrate, lime juice, your preferred sugar, sliced bird’s eye chilies, and salt. Stir until sugar dissolves.
Step Three
Coat with Dressing:
Pour the dressing over the salad, ensuring an even coating.
Step Four
Dress it up real pretty like:
If desired, top with mint leaves and cilantro leaves for a refreshing final touch. It goes great alongside other Indonesian salads such as urap sayur, or something crispy and fried like bakwan sayur.
💡Serving Ideas
Pair this vibrant Rujak Serut with traditional Indonesian delights like sayur lodeh with lontong, bami goreng, mie goreng, or mie rebus.
Serve some alongside vegan fried chicken smothered in Korean Barbecue sauce over nasi uduk, nasi kunyit, or nasi minyak, the trisect of traditional Indonesian rice dishes!
Don’t forget dessert, or my wife will cry (because dessert is like her main thing in life). Smash some steamed Putu Ayu, cekodok pisang, martabak manis, or bubur cha cha.
👉Top tips
- Precision in Julienned Cuts: Take your time with the julienned or grated vegetables, ensuring uniform cuts. Consistent sizes guarantee an even distribution of flavors and textures, elevating the overall quality of the salad. The easiest way to do this is by using a mandoline. Please promise me you will be extra careful with that because they are silly-dangerous!
- Thorough Tossing Technique: When combining the dressing with the salad, toss thoroughly. If your pineapple isn’t super ripe and soft, don’t be afraid to give the salad a little squeezing and massaging by hand, which will help the flavors of the dressing to penetrate the fruits and veggies.
🤷♀️Recipe FAQs
Rujak is the Indonesian spelling and Rojak is the Malay spelling for a salad dish with Javanese roots. The dish typically includes fruits and vegetables, usually in a tangy (from tamarind or citrus juice), sweet (from palm sugar), and sometimes spicy dressing, is eaten throughout Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore.
Rujak Serut is inherently vegan. However, non-vegetarian variations exist, and it's essential to be mindful of certain additions, such as shrimp paste (terasi) in the dressing, which is not vegan if you are eating out.
While the classic recipe features jicama, sweet potato, green mango, and pineapple, feel free to experiment with other fruits like apples, pears, or green papaya, which you might otherwise use to make Filipino Achara.
If stored in a sanitized container, with a tight-fitting lid under refrigeration, this Indonesian sweet potato slaw can last up to three days.
✌️My faves to serve with this dish:
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Rujak Serut (Indonesian Sweet Potato Salad)
Ingredients
- 1 cup jicama peeled and julienne cut
- 1 cup sweet potato peeled and julienne cut, or grated
- 1 cup green mango peeled and julienne cut
- 1 cup pineapple
skinned and diced small
- ½ cup pomegranate seeds (optional)
Dressing:
- 2 tablespoons tamarind concentrate
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 tablespoon palm sugar coconut sugar, or brown sugar
- 3 bird’s eye chilies thinly sliced
- ½ teaspoon salt
Optional Garnishes:
- Mint leaves
- Cilantro leaves
Instructions
- Combine the julienned or grated jicama, sweet potato, green mango, diced pineapple, and optional pomegranate seeds in a large bowl to create the salad.
- Prepare the dressing in a separate bowl by mixing tamarind concentrate, lime juice, palm sugar, coconut sugar, brown sugar, thinly sliced bird’s eye chilies, and salt. Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and toss thoroughly to ensure an even coating.
- If desired, garnish with mint leaves and cilantro leaves.
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