Fruit and Cucumber Salad with Tamarind-chilli Sauce by Petty Pandean-E

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Rujak is a beloved Indonesian fruit salad with countless regional variations, each balancing sweet, sour, spicy and savoury flavours. Preparation styles differ too – some regions grind fried peanuts into the sauce for extra depth.

This simple yet refreshing version combines crisp unripe mango, cucumber, jicama and juicy pomelo. I’ve swapped pomelo and water apple for grapefruit and eating apple – easy substitutes that keep the brightness and crunch.

Ingredients for Fruit & Cucumber Salad

2 apples, cut into wedges
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 unripe mango, peeled and thinly sliced
1 small pineapple, peeled, eyes removed and cut into small wedges
200g pomelo flesh or 1 grapefruit, segmented
1 cucumber, peeled into ribbons
1 jicama (optional)
roasted cashews, coarsely ground, for sprinkling (optional)

For the sauce

2–3 red bird’s eye chillies, finely chopped
80 ml coconut sugar
100 ml Tamarind Paste
pinch of salt

How to make Fruit & Cucumber Salad

In a large bowl, combine the apple wedges, lime juice and 300 ml of cold water to prevent the apples from turning brown.
Make the sauce. Using a pestle and mortar, grind the chillies to a paste with the coconut sugar.
Transfer the mixture to a bowl and stir in the tamarind paste. Season with salt.
Drain the apples. Place all the fruits in a large platter, drizzle with the sauce, sprinkle with the roasted cashews and serve.