Gado-Gado

Ingredients

• •1 cup green beans, trimmed and halved
• •2 cups shredded cabbage
• •2 cups bean sprouts
• •2 medium potatoes, boiled and sliced
• •8 oz firm tofu, cubed and fried
• •8 oz tempeh, sliced and fried
• •2 hard-boiled eggs, halved
• •1 cucumber, sliced
• •1/2 cup roasted peanuts
• •2 cloves garlic
• •1-2 red chilies, to taste
• •1 tbsp palm sugar (or brown sugar)
• •1/2 tsp shrimp paste (terasi), toasted (optional)
• •1 tbsp tamarind water
• •3/4 cup coconut milk, plus water to thin
• •Fried shallots, for garnish
• •Prawn crackers (krupuk), for serving

Steps

1. 1.Blanch the green beans, cabbage, and bean sprouts separately in boiling water for 1-2 minutes each, just until bright and barely tender, then plunge into ice water to stop the cooking and keep them crisp.
2. 2.For the peanut sauce, traditionally the peanuts, chilies, garlic, and toasted shrimp paste are pounded together in a mortar and pestle into a coarse paste - a food processor works too, but pulse rather than puree so some texture remains.
3. 3.Transfer the paste to a saucepan, stir in the palm sugar, tamarind water, and coconut milk, and simmer gently for 5 minutes, thinning with a splash of water until the sauce coats the back of a spoon but still pours easily.