Indonesian Gado Gado Salad

This is an adaption of an Indonesian gado gado salad, in which vegetables are traditionally served with a satay (or peanut) sauce. The vegetables are stir-fried and served on a hot peanut lime sauce. The source is Christine Manfield’s cookbook, Spice (Sydney: Viking 1999). The dish was served at a dinner in Geneva prepared by an Australian visiting his daughter in 2000 who worked for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. Serves 6.

200 millitres of Peanut Lime Sauce*

120 millitres Tamarind Dressing (see recipe below)

2 tablespoons chopped dry roasted peanuts

3 cloves garlic sliced

2 teaspoons minced ginger

60 millitres chili oil

Selection of the following vegetables, cut into thin strips (julienne). It is not essential to use all the vegetables. Use those of your choice, or others of a similar type.

2 large red chillies

1 sweet green pepper

1 sweet red pepper

1 small carrot

1 green zucchini

9 snow peas

Also

3 green onions, cut into pieces of 2 centimetres

3 snake beans, cut into 4 centimetre lengths and blanched

12 oyster mushrooms, halved

3 Chinese leaves, coarsely shredded

100 grams bean sprouts

2 cups watercress sprigs

• Make peanut lime sauce and keep warm. 
•  Stir fry the vegetables in a wok. Do not stew them. The vegetables should be crisp. This is best done by stir frying them in small batches, as described below, and keeping servings warm in oven. 
•  Divide ingredients into 6 separate portions. 
• For each serving, fry garlic, chilli and ginger in 2 teaspoons of chilli oil for about one minute. 
•  Add  all vegetables (except the cabbage, bean sprouts and water cress), and stir fry for a minute or two, until the vegetables start to wilt. 
• Add cabbage and bean sprouts with tamarind dressing and toss to combine. 
• Stir water cress through hot vegetables and remove from heat. 
• Spread hot peanut sauce on each plate and pile on stir-friend vegetables. 
• Top with roasted peanuts and serve immediately. 
• Serve extra peanut lime sauce in a separate bowl.

Tamarind Dressing

100 millitres tamarind liquid*

20 grams palm sugar, shaved

75 millitres strained lime juice

1 teaspoon ginger juice or minced ginger

25 millitres fish sauce

1 teaspoon sesame oil

• Mix all ingredients together.

*  See separate recipe.

** You make tamarind liquid by putting a block of tamarind into hot water and mashing it with your hand to get a thick gooey liquid.