Indonesian Gado Gado

adapted from the International Vegetarian Union's Gado Gado

Serves 8 (main dish servings)
Passive cooking time: 30 minutes • Active cooking time: 1 hour

Ingredients

1/2 pound small potatoes, boiled in their skins until tender
1 cup shredded cabbage, boiled for 5 minutes and drained
1/2 pound carrots, sliced, boiled for 5 minutes and drained
1/2 pound bean sprouts, boiled for 2 minutes and drained
1/4 pound green beans, cut into 2-inch lengths, boiled for 5 minutes and drained
1 cup diced jicama (optional)
Peanut Sauce (see recipe below)
14 oz firm tofu, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, and sauted
2 tablespoons peanut oil
3 tablespoons Crispy Fried Shallots (shhh, I used French's fried onions from the grocery store)
2 cups uncooked brown rice (I prefer short grain)

Peanut Sauce
1/3 c peanut butter
1-2 tsp sambal ulek or other chili paste
2 tsp dark soy sauce
1-1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground galangal or 1-1/2 tsp finely shredded galangal (I substituted standard ginger with fine results)
1/2 tsp tamarind concentrate or 2 tsp lemon juice
1 T soft brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 tsp freshly ground black pepper
3/4 c coconut milk


Steps:

1. Wash and cut the potatoes and drop them into 2 quarts boiling water. Let simmer about 15 minutes before adding other vegetables. Add cabbage, carrots, and green beans and simmer for 5 minutes. Add bean sprouts and simmer for 2 minutes before draining all vegetables.

2. While veggies are simmering, bring 3 cups water and 1 tsp salt to a boil. Add brown rice and bring to a boil again. Reduce heat, cover and let simmer for approximately 20 - 25 minutes, or until water is absorbed by rice.


3. While veggies and rice are simmering, start peanut sauce. In a medium sauce pan, combine all ingredients and bring just to a boil. Make sure peanut butter is completely melted within sauce.

4. Cut tofu into 1/2 inch pieces. Heat 2 tablespoons peanut oil in a skillet and saute tofu chunks until golden brown.


5. With veggies drained, rice done, jicama diced, and tofu sauted, assemble the Gado Gado. Scoop 1/2 cup of rice into a big bowl. Add veggies, jicama, and spoon peanut sauce over the top. Top off with tofu and fried onions.






Notes: I'm going to be honest: this recipe is complicated. I found it difficult to stay on top of all the tasks and ensure things got done at the same time. This is definitely a "two-cook" recipe. But that being said, this recipe is also so amazingly delicious that I would definitely make it again. At first glance, this doesn't seem like a beans and rice recipe, but rest assured, it is. It contains both green beans and soybean curd (tofu). If you don't normally stock these vegetables, this dish is also not particularly cheap. We just happened to get every vegetable except the jicama in our CSA veggie box this week, and knew we had to make this recipe. I served this dish warm, but I'm sure it would also taste great cold.

Historical context: In Bahasa (language of Indonesia), the word gado-gado means potpourri or medley. In Indonesia, Gado Gado is a street food, and is often sold by mobile food carts or in open air eateries. It is a traditional dish, thought to be created when Portuguese and Spanish traders brought nuts and chilies to Asia in the 16th century. Gado-gado is considered a salad where cooks throw in whatever vegetables are fresh and in season. It can be made with whatever leftovers you have on hand and it has been said that its beauty lies in its versatility.
Source: Wall Street Journal