GADO GADO

This is a traditional dish from Indonesia, best described as a very substantial salad that includes blanched and raw vegetables. It is served with a light peanut sauce.

INGREDIENTS
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges
1/2 medium cabbage, cut into chunks
70g beansprouts
250g green beans, trimmed
1 Lebanese cucumber, sliced into rounds
2 ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges
4 hard boiled eggs, quartered
100g firm tofu, cut into cubes
Prawn crackers, to serve (optional)
2 Tbsp fried shallots (optional)
3 Tbsp coriander leaves
vegetable oil for deep frying
cornflour to dust the tofu

Peanut sauce
Click here to see recipe.

METHOD:
Start by making the peanut sauce.
Prepare all vegetables.
Prepare two pots of boiling water. Add the turmeric to one of them and the salt and sugar to the other.
Cook the potatoes in the turmeric water until tender. Then drain and keep warm.
In the other pot, boil the cabbage for about 5 minutes or until tender. Remove and drain. Bring the water to the boil between the blanching of each vegetable.
Blanch the beans for about 4 minutes, remove and drain. Keep all vegetables warm.
Blanch the bean sprouts for 30 seconds and add to the rest of the vegetables.
Pour enough oil into a large frying pan to come to 5mm up the sides and heat. Cut the tofu into cubes and toss them with some cornflour.  Shake off the excess and then add to the hot oil.

Fry, turning them around as you go until they are golden all over and have a thin crust. 

Transfer them onto kitchen paper.

To serve, arrange all cooked and raw vegetables on a large platter as well as the eggs and tofu.

Serve with the peanut sauce and prawn crackers and scatter with the fried shallots.

Serves 4