Recipe

Gado Gado (Salad with Peanut Dressing)

A thick peanut sauce similar to that served with sate accompanies this salad of cooked and raw vegetables and fruit.

Ingredient:
1 small head lettuce
2 large boiling potatoes, cooked in their jackets
1 ½ cups (about 6 oz/185 g) sliced green (French) beans
1 ½ cups (about 6 oz/185 g) chopped fresh bean sprouts
1 ½ cups (about 4 oz/125 g) shredded white or Chinese cabbage
2-3 medium tomatoes
1 medium onion
2-3 green onions
1 medium cucumber
2 slices canned or fresh pineapple
1 cup loosely packed fresh herbs (cilantro/coriander, basil, parsley)
1-2 fresh red chilies
2-4 hard cooked eggs
2 eggs, made into omelet shreds


Peanut sauce:
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
2 teaspoons lemon juice
4 tablespoons crunchy peanut butter
1 teaspoon ground chili paste
2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
1 cup (8 fl oz/250 ml) thick coconut milk
½ teaspoon minced fresh ginger
½ teaspoon minced lemon grass root
2 tablespoons vegetable or coconut oil

How to make:

• Rinse the lettuce in cold water, drain well and shake or wipe dry. Arrange on a wide platter. Peel the potatoes and slice thinly. Drop the beans into a saucepan of slightly salted water and simmer for about 4 minutes, then drain, refresh with cold water and drain again. Pour boiling water over the bean sprouts and cabbage and drain immediately.

• Thinly slice the tomatoes and onion. Trim the green onions and cut into shreds about 2 in (5 cm) long. Peel the cucumber and cut into cubes, discarding the seeds. Cube the pineapple.

• Arrange the potatoes in a circle around the edge of the platter, slice overlapping. Place the remaining vegetables and pineapple in a bowl and toss together until well mixed. Remove from the bowl and pile into the center of the platter. Surround with the herbs sprigs.

• Slit the chilies and scrape out the seeds, cut the flesh into fine shreds. Quarter the eggs and arrange on the salad. Cover the salad with omelet shreds and place the shredded chilies on the top. Cover and chill.

• Mix the soy sauce, lemon juice, peanut butter, chili paste and sugar together in a small saucepan. Heat and stir almost to the boiling points.

• Sauté the garlic, ginger and lemon grass in the oil for 2-3 minutes until very fragrant. Pour into the sauce and simmer for 4-5 minutes, until the sauce is very thick. Stir constantly to prevent sticking. Allow to cool. Pour into a dish or pitcher and serve with the salad.