Charlotte de Neve's Recipes
GOOD-FOR-YOU GADO-GADO (Indo Vegetable Salad with Peanut Sauce)
Gado-Gado, a mixture of cooked and raw vegetables, is a popular salad in Indonesia and Malaysia. Charlotte’s mother always said you could go on a diet by eating only Gado-Gado because it’s got vegetables and protein and makes a complete meal.
Yield: 6 servings
4 oz bean sprouts 125 g
1 potato 1
half small cabbage, sliced half
4 oz green beans, sliced diagonally into thirds 125 g
half bunch asparagus (optional) half bunch
1 pkg (10 oz) fresh spinach 1 pkg (300 g)
8 oz firm tofu 250 g
vegetable oil for frying
1 pkg shrimp chips (krupuk) 1 pkg
2 hard-cooked eggs 2
1/2 English cucumber, sliced 1/2
Sauce:
1/2 cup peanut butter 125 mL
2 tbsp coconut milk 30 mL
juice of half a lime
dash soy sauce
pinch fried garlic
sambal* (optional)
* Sambal is a hot chili relish that’s used in cooking and as a condiment. The basic sambal contains crushed red chilis, sugar, and salt, but other varieties add various highly flavoured ingredients.
Salad:
In large bowl, pour boiling water over bean sprouts; cover and let stand for 15 minutes; drain. In a large pot of boiling salted water, boil potatoes until tender. Set aside. Boil cabbage for 8 to 10 minutes or until tender-crisp; drain and set aside. Boil or steam green beans and asparagus (if using) until tender-crisp. Drain, reserving some of the cooking liquid for the sauce. Steam spinach until wilted. Let vegetables cool to room temperature.
Sauce:
In a bowl, thin the peanut butter with some of reserved cooking liquid (or water). Stir in coconut milk, lime juice, soy sauce, garlic, and sambal to taste (if using).
Cut tofu into cubes. Deep-fry tofu, in a wok in two batches, stirring gently to keep separate, until golden. Drain on paper towels. In the same oil, briefly deep-fry shrimp chips, four at a time (do not let them turn golden).
On a platter or in a large shallow bowl, layer spinach, cabbage, green beans and bean sprouts. Arrange asparagus (if using) on top to form spokes of wheel. Slice potatoes and hard-cooked eggs; arrange on top along with cucumber slices. Drizzle with some of the sauce. Scatter fried tofu and shrimp chips on top. Pass remaining sauce around when serving.
