Recipe#25158

Title: Mixed Vegetable Salad with Peanut Sauce(Gado-Gado)

From:The Meades
Date: Tue, 30 Jan 1996 07:19:41 -0500 

1                    Package firm -- (Chinese-style) tofu
   1      teaspoon      Kecap manis
                        Oil -- for deep frying
   6      cups          Vegetables *
                        Hard-cooked eggs -- for
                                        
                        Fried Onion Flakes for -- garnish
                        -----GADO-GADO SAUCE-----
   1      tablespoon    Minced garlic
   2      tablespoons   Minced shallot
   1      tablespoon    Minced fresh galangal or
   1      teaspoon      Ground galangal
   1      teaspoon      Dried shrimp paste
     1/2  teaspoon      Ground dried chile or
     1/4  teaspoon      Sambal ulek
   1      cup           Oil
     1/2  cup           Raw peanuts
   1      teaspoon      Brown or palm sugar
   1      cup           Thin coconut milk **
                        Salt -- to taste
                        Juice of 1/2 lime -- to
* (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.