You can call me Al…

…but what do you call this?

Here in Sibu, we had the celebrated Rojak Kassim after this man named Kassim who had since moved to Kuching. We also called his keleng-nga rojak…or rojak tambi (Indian rojak)…but it was not exactly like the authentic Indian rojak, otherwise called pasembur or mamak rojak. In the case of the latter, the sauce is usually reddish in colour and sweet. Personally, I think it is more like gado-gado which is authentically an Indonesian dish…with all the condiments and a satay-like spicy peanut gravy poured over them.

But they call this one rojak Dalat because it originates from somebody selling it in Dalat. For the uninitiated, Dalat is a small town located downriver from Sibu with a largely Melanau population.

Rojak literally means a mixture of sorts or all mixed up – the local version of the salad, so to speak. This one has the cucur (deep fried fritters) and cucumber cut into strips and also mihun…and prior to eating, the peanut sauce is poured over it…

It is available in Sibu at my regular Bandong kuih stall at only RM2.00…but personally, I would prefer it with boiled potatoes and hardboiled egg and I think the sauce is kind of watery and not thick enough. But for only RM2.00, I think there is not much cause for complaint.