Gado Gado

An Indonesian extravaganza: Yellow rice on a bed of spinach, covered with vegetables, tofu, and hard boiled eggs. A gingery peanut sauce gets drizzled over the top, and crunchy, flavorful "final toppings" add a delightful finishing touch.

Note: all the ingredients can be prepared in advance and served warm or at room temperature.

Gado-Gado:
Note: You can vary the vegetables and their amounts. Also, they can be cooked or raw, or some of each. Arrange everything on a platter or on individual plates.

1- A bed of fresh spinach goes on the bottom.

2- Yellow Rice goes on the spinach. (To make yellow rice, cook 2 cups rice in 3 cups simmering water with 1/2 tsp. tumeric. Add a little extra water toward the end of cooking, if needed until tender.)

3-An assortment of vegetables goes on rice. Such as broccoli, green beans, red and green cabbage (very finely shredded), thin slices of carrot, mung bean sprouts.

4- Tofu and hard boiled eggs (sliced or chopped) go on the vegetables
Peanut Sauces:
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 heaping Tbs grated ginger
1 heaping Tbs minced garlic
1 1/2 cups hot water
4 Tbs cider vinegar
2 Tbs soy sauce
1 tsp salt
crushed red pepper to taste

1- Put everything into a blender and puree until smooth. If it is too thick add a little extra water.
2- Transfer to a serving bowl and adjust seasonings to taste. Serve at any temperature, drizzled over Gado Gado. (This makes about 2 cups sauces)

Final Toppings:
3 Tbs peanut or canola oil
2 Tbs sliced fresh ginger (VERY thin slices, done with your sharpest paring knife)
1 cup finely chopped onion
12 medium cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced

Optional toppings:
shredded, unsweetened coconut, lightly toasted
crushed red pepper
slices of fruit: lemons, limes, oranges, apples, pineapple

1-Heat 1 Tbs oil in small skillet. Add ginger, and saute over medium heat for a minute or so, then transfer to small bowl.
2- Repeat with the onion and garlic, sauteing each separately in 1 Tbs oil for 8 to 10 minutes (onion) and about 20 seconds (garlic). Place each in a small bowl.
3- Place some or all of these toppings on the table with the Gado Gado, so each person can liberally garnish their own portion.

I was a bit hesitant to try this when Christian suggested it as it seemed like a weird combination. It turned out to be a very pleasant surprise. The peanut sauce is very tasty and the recipe allows for a nice combination of veggies, protein and carbohydrates. If you want a vegan option you can leave out the egg. One night we did it with the egg, the other night we did it with tofu and both were delish!