Rojak Mango, papaya, and pineapple salad

Serves 4–6
½ small cucumber
¼ fresh pineapple
1 firm unripe mango
1 firm unripe papaya
1 crisp, tart apple such as Granny Smith
2 scallions (green onions), thinly sliced
½ bunch of fresh mint, leaves torn
1 cup roasted skinless peanuts,
coarsely crushed
For the dressing
2 tbsp shrimp paste
3 fresh red jalapeño or serrano chilies,
seeded and finely chopped
2in (5cm) piece of fresh ginger, grated
1 tbsp mashed tamarind pulp (see p30)
juice of 1 lime
5 tbsp boiling water
2 tbsp Asian fish sauce
3 tbsp sugar
1First wrap the shrimp paste for the dressing in a small piece of aluminum foil.
Bake in a preheated 350°F (180°C) oven for 10 minutes until it becomes
nuttier and drier, and aromatic rather than pungent.
2To make the dressing, grind the chilies and ginger using a pestle and mortar.
Mix with the roasted shrimp paste and mash into a pulp. Add the mashed
tamarind, lime juice, water, fish sauce, and sugar.
3To make the salad, cut each fruit differently to ensure different textures and
uneven pieces. Roll-cut the cucumber by cutting a chunk on a diagonal
about 1½in (3.5cm) long. Roll the cucumber 90 degrees, then cut another
diagonal chunk. Continue cutting and rolling in this fashion, so that you have
irregular diagonal chunks. Peel the pineapple, mango, and papaya. Dice the
pineapple, cut wedges of mango and apple, and shred the papaya into ribbons
using a vegetable peeler. Put in a large serving bowl, and add the scallions and
mint. Toss gently to mix. Add half the peanuts and mix again.
4Pour the dressing over the fruit and toss well. Serve in individual bowls,
garnished with the remaining peanuts and mint leaves.