Fruits and veggies with a quirky dipping sauce—Singapore’s iconic Uparak tastes oddly amazing

Text & photos byXiao Sheng

Uparak (Rojak) is an extremely common local snack in Singapore and Malaysia, but for me, it’s also the most difficult to accept among all the local snacks there XD. So initially, I kept wondering whether I should introduce such an unusual dish. But since exploring local street food cultures has been a major part of my nomadic journey, I ultimately decided to feature this peculiar snack. However, this piece will likely reflect a highly personal viewpoint. The fact that this snack has thrived in Singapore and Malaysia for so long probably just means my taste preferences are extremely at odds with it.

In the first few days in Singapore, I stayed at a backpackers’ hostel in the Geylang area. After checking my Lonely Planet guide, I found there was an old airport road food and shopping center nearby, which housed a Rojak highly recommended by the LP. Since heading to Old Airport Road and then on to Katong afterward was very convenient, I decided to come here for lunch that day to try out this Rojak I’d never seen before.

The Old Airport Road Food and Shopping Centre is located along Old Airport Rd. The nearest MRT station is Dakota Station on the yellow line. Another key reason I came here is that such food hubs in Singapore always gather a wide variety of snacks from all over, offering a richer taste of the local food culture—this is also why I love visiting food centers so much. The Old Airport Road food center is quite large, but because it’s not in the city’s prime district, it isn’t overly crowded, so you don’t get that stifling feeling.

The Rojak recommended by the Lonely Planet guidebook is this one, #01-108 Toa Payoh Rojak in Toa Payoh. The stall is no larger than your average street vendor and doesn’t stand out much amid the many other stalls in the Old Airport Road Food Centre. But you can tell how well-known it is just by the stacks of magazines displayed at the front.

Besides being featured in newspapers and magazines, Toa Payoh Rojak has also received many food-related awards in Singapore.

So what exactly is Uparak? It’s essentially a type of fruit salad. The name Uparak (Rojak) sounds like “random mix” in Chinese, and that’s pretty much what it is—just a bunch of fruits and veggies thrown together. Common ingredients include cucumber, pineapple, radish, yam bean, bean sprouts, and even deep-fried dough sticks, all mixed up.

The sauce for Uparak is also super important—it’s made with sweet chili sauce, soy paste, peanut powder, and sometimes a bit of shrimp paste or fish sauce. After mixing the veggies, the sauce is poured on, turning the whole dish a dark, almost blackish color. To be honest… by the standards of delicious food’s color, aroma, and taste, the color alone isn’t very appealing.

This not-so-visually-appealing Uparak actually tastes really… unique. The vegetables are served raw, and aside from the pineapple, none of the other ingredients have much flavor. The sauce itself is very richly seasoned, and though it might work okay with greens, the veggies are cut thick, so it ends up tasting a bit undercooked. Plus, the flavor combo of the sauce is so strange that even someone like me, who’s eaten all kinds of food around the world, finds it hard to accept.

Honestly, if you ask me if Uparak is tasty, I’d say it’s really not to my taste. To resolve my curiosity, I also tried it in Malacca, and a friend ordered some for us at a night market in Penang. After having Uparak three times, I really realized I just don’t like this strange dish. But in Singapore and Malaysia, it’s a beloved local snack—everyone else seems to enjoy it immensely. If you haven’t tried it, you really should give it a shot—you might just end up loving this unique flavor.
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Toa Payoh Rojak, Old Airport Road Food Centre
Address: 19 Old Airport Rd, Singapore 390019 (Dakota MRT Station)

 Xiao Sheng’s Nomadic Journey

Every journey, every trip is about seeking something—even if I’m not entirely sure what. But in the end, what I gain is often more than I ever imagined. So my nomadic journey will keep going, nonstop.