Subscribe to my RSS Feeds

Motormouth From Ipoh

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Rojak Manjung in Sitiawan

This month of June had me in stitches. No, NOT the laughing spell/stomach-cramps inducing kind, but more of that with surgical nature; aka 'Wounds bleeding' with endless slew of work and activities, taking me round the peninsular, for a grand total of 19 days of travelling and away from home !!! That's more than half the month gone! That has to be a record of sorts ......

Notice the various ingredients to be chosen for your customized serving of Rojak?

Still wondering whether I've the time (and energy) to update this blog in coming days, hence I'd better post as much as possible, whenever and wherever I can. For today's post, let's take a look at one of Malaysians' favourite salad, the Rojak.

Rojak Manjung gained considerable fame ... as proven by various articles, featured stories, and of course, words-of-mouth
Rojak refers to a popular type of salad commonly found in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia (known as rujak, refers to Selba's blog for various versions of the rujak), consisting of fruits and vegetables (and other ingredients occassionally), and served with accompanying sauce.
There are various intepretations of this simple dish, from the common Rojak with thick, gooey black shrimp paste and peanut sauce, to Pasembur-type of rojak with slightly different ingredients (cucur udang/prawn fritters, tauhu/beancurd, etc) and a sweeter yet spicy sauce. Of course, there's always other sensationalized versions, such as those with other not-so-common ingredients such as youtiao/yau char kwai/Chinese cruellers, cuttlefish (else known as sotong kangkung), cuts of papaya, etc.

Rojak Manjung @ RM3.20 (regular serving)
I've read about this place in Sitiawan (yup, NOT Seri Manjung, remember!) serving delicious and popular Rojak Manjung from THIS blog some time ago. Noted to self; "Gotta give it a try, seeing that Sitiawan's all about Hock Chew food, hawker fare, or seafood only." And of course, cendol as well. Come to think of it, if only this rojak can be served together with that cendol from James, then it's HOLY matrimony, people!

Seriously, this is the second time I tried Rojak Manjung in Sitiawan. (Don't you just love how they like to confuse you? Imagine Nasi Ayam Ipoh in KL, or Penang Char Kuey Teow in Ipoh. Or even Terengganu Nasi Dagang in Australia. Hahahah ... wait, two out of three ARE for real. Whoops)

Verdict? Lovely combination of ingredients, from their crispy and flavourful cucur udang (prawn fritters), a whole boiled egg, fish cakes and cubed potatoes, to other funky ingredients such as filament stick (or crab stick - another one of those bogus wannabes, fish paste masquerading as crabs?), peparu (cow's lungs!), tempe (a Javanese delicacy made from fried soybean - supposedly the Elixir of youth. Got doubts? Ask HIM), etc.
Coupled with that thick, spicy sauce with chopped peanuts, the platter of goodies was taken up to a whole new level .... of greater heights, should I say. Minor gripe? The small serving of sauce was far from enough to 'banjir' (flood) my plate of rojak. Additional sauce can be obtained at extra charge, should you feel like slurping on the gravy.

They serve rice with dishes as well. The Rendang Cendawan (curry mushrooms, literally) is one of their most popular dish, being covered in the media as well.
They operate from 9am til 7pm everyday, except Sundays. Aside from their famed Rojak, one can choose to have a more filling portion of rice and dishes for lunch here. The boss highly recommended their Rendang Cendawan, probably the first time I've came across such combination. Vowing to try the dish someday for lunch, I'll be sure to return for more.

Look for the D'Mara sign, in case you can't find this place

Location : Rojak Manjung @ No 6, Plaza Mara Sitiawan, Jalan Lumut, 32000 Sitiawan, Perak. Tel No : 6012-507 5453. Look for Encik Amer Zuraidi. HALAL.

And with that, let the Marathon begins .......

29 comments:

kevin_chungx said...

haha, wow, this rojak is really extraordinary with so many special ingredients...filament stick and peparu? cow's lungs?! seriously?

ahlock said...

R U sure this rojak is good? The picture does not show so.

Wanted to try the cendol, looks so cool and refreshing, especially in this blazing hot weather now. But the last time I visited Sitiawan, the cendol stall was not open. Much to my chagrin.

No affinity with fine food, perhaps.

mboy said...

U come and try Klang's rojak lar...!

PureGlutton said...

Wow...u sure travel lots, man! Hmmm... i don't like the idea of having to pay for MORE rojak sauce - haiyah! think they should just please their customers by giving a bit extra! rendang cendawan sounds interesting - do let us know more when u have tasted it, hehe!

Sugar Bean said...

I've saw people selling cow's lungs with nasi lemak before, I don't take beef so didn't try it out. But didn't know you can eat it with rojak too.

I always love rojak, the fruits version, until once I tried rojak manjung and fell in love with it. Now craving for more!

New Kid on the Blog said...

that's one thing that I've not have the adventure spirit to explore such food and the area. :(
good sharing

J2Kfm said...

kevin chung : seriously! but of course you gotta request for 'tambah' the ingredients as you like.

ahlock : i was thinking the same thing as well the 1st time I saw the plate of stuff. but paired with the sauce, I couldnt stop munching on them. perfect as a snack.

mboy : Klang also famous for rojak meh? hehe .. never heard pulak. which part?

Pureglutton : true. but actually, during the 1st visit, the boss was kind enough to supply me with another bowl of sauce, after i instantly flooded my plate with the 1st serving!

Sugar bean : you've tried this also? nice right? its a cross betweeen the usual rojak and pasembur.

NKOTB : all comes with work, not purposely hunting for food. haha

Anonymous said...

really fusion ya....even got crabstick in rojak...haha...i prefer the fruits rojak more..haha

Ciki said...

wa.. rendang cendawan.. dat i must try la.. is the cendawan fried 1st or just braised in the rendang?

Selba said...

What an interesting rojak... I meant coz' most of Indonesian rujaks are purely fruits :)

sakaigirl said...

wah, so famous ar..then should have a try..

Hulk said...

Wow...u r really well informed. It is one famous Rojak Pasembor Stall locally. They Could be around simply over 2 decades or so. Started out humble near a club house SRC.

I too enjoy thier rojak pasembur version & the last I had my meal there right after CNY. Its a walking distance away from my parents crib & is just opposite the STORE.

I have yet try thier rice/dish serving selection. Looks tempting but had pasembur instead. Will head there again the next time.

Thier version slightly differ from the Indian Rojak Pasembur. Just that they have more "fritter adds" & u can even add other fried fritters such as crab. It was not the banjir stlye. I like it this way...not enuff, just add for another bowl. cunsumer can always BANJIR the serving in accodance & prefeerences.

jason said...

This is like the married combination of pasembur with satay...heh. And you can be sure that I'll get lost in Lumut as well. :p

choi yen said...

It's look like pasembur to me~~

Lingzie said...

hey hope you're feeling better soon! all that travelling!!you very keng la!

kevin_chungx said...

oh i see, that's better, haha
Hmmm, i think you didn't add the peparu right?

food-cookies said...

crabstick and tempeh??? That's very new to me for rojak eh~ hehe

Darrenmagic said...

Looks good! I probably will go sitiawan soon..maybe will go try it;)

iamthewitch said...

Wah, this is the first time I see such a huge variety for rojak alone! But it's so out of the way for me... Hopefully some entrepreneur from Ipoh or KL would follow suit. :)

acid said...

you got confused thinking Rojak Manjung got its name from Seri Manjung. Sitiawan (and Seri Manjung) are in the municipality of Manjung.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manjung

i grew up here :)

Kenny Mah said...

Wow, that rojak is a meal in itself! :D

Lyrical Lemongrass said...

What a lot of ingredients for rojak. Am also keen to find out more abt the rendang cendawan. Btw, so sad I missed u at the recent food crawl lar. Hoping to bump into you soon, O Lemongrass hater. :-P

Little Inbox said...

The kuah must be good, otherwise the whole dish will spoil.

JENCOOKS said...

Well seasoned traveller armed with good stomach for all the good food. I certainly dont mind the banjir in the rojak.

Ciki said...

that's a gorgeous header you have there!

HairyBerry said...

nice meeting you last week, dude! come to kl more often ya!

off topic pulak..haha! i lurve a good rojak, especially with a solid kuah kacang!

go.kititto.com said...

Nice pix u took, Good job!!!
I always pass by Ipoh or Perak during journey to Penang. Never really stop over or stay over night in Ipoh. I always wondering where can I have good food in Ipoh (beside nasi ayam taugeh, which I dislike nasi ayam nor taugeh), now I found it here in your blog. Thank you.
Feel free to pay a visit to my blog whenever u r free.

legend said...

tokey dia ni sepupu saya...

Nandre The Legend said...

rojak manjung sudah menang anugerah kedai harga patut 2010 di PWTC pada 6 Dis 2010