Indonesian Fruit Salad (Roedjak sambal kacang)

This weekend, the weather was started to be nicer in DC. It showed 10 C. Then the weekend became longer as it was Marthin Luther King day on Sunday. Hubby and I decided to go out to get some sunshine. We went to Annapolis, almost an hour drive from our place.

I really liked this old city, in a way it reminded me a lot of Alkmaar in Netherlands. I travelled to Alkmaar in summer 2007, I was looking forward to see the cheese but I end up in the old city centrum, which I did not regret. The small shops lined along the bay the color of the brick building is quite Dutch style but of course Alkmaar has much more water and little cute old buildings, but I must say that I liked them both, Alkmaar and Annapolis.

During sitting in the sunny bay and this bit warmer weather (yes, my friends back home laughed at me when I said 10 celcius is warm, but come on...it is much-much better than minus 3 :) I was thinking about hmmm..what would have been good to eat when the weather is warm like this back home. Then this picture of Roedjak Deli around the Maimoon palace in Medan came up into my mind. But then another picture also popped up, the ones in Muara bay in Padang city, I remember my late Father sometimes took me and my sisters spending the time by the beach and enjoying the rujak muara not too spicy for me and my sisters, and the one in Jakarta, this small stall in front of Bakso Lapangan Tembak restaurant in Jakarta. After a portion of meatballs soup, I will buy a pack of take home rujak, freshly prepared by the seller.

I liked to observed them when preparing it and sometimes I asked question what they put in the food, this way I can use some of those memories to create the food especially when I am away from home.

So here is the recipe:

Fruits: washed and chop the fruits in any size you want
Pineapple, apple, jicama, green pears, young papaya, strawberry, etc-etc

Sambal Kacang (salad sauce):

1/2 cup cashew nuts (most people would use peanut)
1/2 cup hot water with 1 teaspoon tamarind paste
1 thai chilles (add more if you prefer spicier taste)
1/4 cup palm sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 banana preferably the half ripen one, it will add to creamy texture.
Directions:

1. Clean and chopped the fruits, sets aside
2. Heat the wok and stir the cashew nuts till it brownish app. 3-5 minutes
3. Mix the tamarind paste to hot water, stir till it blend well
4. Pick a mortar then grind the chillie with the salt, add the banana then add the cashew nut and the palm sugar, grind them until they blend well but make sure the nuts is coarsely crashed then add the hot water mix.
5. Served the fruits with the sauces.
6. Selamat makan!