Mixed Vegetable Salad with Peanut Sauce (Gado-Gado)

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Title: Mixed Vegetable Salad with Peanut Sauce (Gado-Gado)
Categories: Indonesian, Salads, Ceideburg 2
Yield: 1 servings

1 Package firm
-(Chinese-style) tofu
1 ts Kecap manis
Oil, for deep frying
6 c Vegetables *
Hard-cooked eggs, for
-garnish
Fried Onion Flakes for
-garnish

MMMMM----------------------GADO-GADO SAUCE---------------------------
1 tb Minced garlic
2 tb Minced shallot
1 tb Minced fresh galangal or
1 ts Ground galangal
1 ts Dried shrimp paste
1/2 ts Ground dried chile or
1/4 ts Sambal ulek
1 c Oil
1/2 c Raw peanuts
1 ts Brown or palm sugar
1 c Thin coconut milk **
Salt, to taste
Juice of 1/2 lime, to
-taste

* (a variety of the following): cabbage, in 1-inch squares; bean
sprouts; carrots, sliced or julienned; green beans, in 2-inch pieces;
potatoes or sweet potatoes in large dice; sliced cucumbers;
watercress sprigs; tomato wedges.

** (The thin stuff from the bottom of a can of coconut milk. SC)

This is from a new cookbook I just got. Haven't tried this recipe
yet, but it looks dead on.

This is a rather free-form salad of lightly cooked vegetables; the
exact contents depend on what is available. What makes it gado-gado
is the dressing, a creamy peanut sauce.

1. Remove tofu from package and drain. Place on a plate lined with
cloth or paper towels, top with another layer of towel and an
inverted plate, and place a weight of a pound or more on top. Let
stand for 30 minutes, unwrap, and discard liquid. Cut tofu into
bite-sized squares or triangles and sprinkle with kecap manis. Fry
in 350F oil until golden brown and puffy; transfer to paper towels to
drain. Reserve oil to cook peanuts.

2. One at a time, blanch vegetables in lightly salted water, rinsing
them in cold water to stop cooking as soon as they reach the desired
degree of doneness. Cabbage and bean sprouts require only a few
seconds; carrots, green beans, and potatoes may take several minutes
depending on size and tenderness. Do not blanch cucumbers,
watercress, and tomatoes. use them raw.

3. Place Gado-Gado Sauce in a small bowl in the center of a large
platter. Arrange vegetables on platter around sauce. Garnish with
wedges or slices of hard-cooked egg and fried onion flakes. To
serve, spoon some sauce onto each plate and dip vegetables into
sauce. Serves 4 to 6 with other dishes.

GADO-GADO SAUCE:

1. To prepare sauce in a mortar: Pound garlic, shallot, galangal,
shrimp paste, and chile to a paste. To prepare sauce in a blender:
Chop together in a 1-cup jar.

2. In a wok or deep skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat until a
peanut sizzles on contact. Fry peanuts until lightly browned;
transfer to paper towels to drain. When peanuts have cooled, grind
in a mortar or food processor to a coarse, grainy paste, adding a
little oil if necessary to facilitate blending. (May be made up to a
week ahead and stored covered in refrigerator.)

3. Remove all but 2 tablespoons oil from pan and reserve for another
use. Return pan to medium-low heat and add pounded mixture. Cook
until quite fragrant, but do not burn. Add peanuts, sugar, and
coconut milk and bring to a boil, stirring. Simmer until thick and
season to taste with salt and lime juice. Allow to coot to room
temperature before serving.

Makes 1 cup.

From the California Culinary Academy's "Southeast Asian Cooking", Jay
Harlow, published by the Chevron Chemical Company, 1987. ISBN
0-89721-098-0.

Posted by Stephen Ceideberg; May 31 1993.

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