Gado-Gado with cashew sauce (Indonesian Salad)

 

Today, here's a delicious twist on Gado-Gado, an Indonesian salad featuring a savoy peanut-cashew sauce and crispy shrimp crackers. This healthy dish is full of textures and flavors.

Gado-Gado with Peanut-Cashew Sauce

Ingredients

Salad:

* 100 gram bean sprouts. blanched

* 100 gram spinach or water spinach, blanched

* 100 gram cabbage, sliced and blanched 

* 1 Cucumber, sliced

* 1 Large potato, boiled and sliced

* 100 gram tofu, fried until golden brown and cubed

* 100 gram tempe (fried until golden brown and cubed)

* 3 egg (boiled)

* 2 hard-boiled eggs, halved

* 1 handful shrimp crackers

Peanut-Cashew Sauce:

* 200 gram peanuts, roasted

* 100 gram cashew roasted

* 2 cloves garlic

* 4 chilies (or to taste)

* 1 tbsp palm sugar (or brown sugar)

* 2 tbsp sweet soy sauce (Kecap manis)

* 3-5 tbsp tamarind water

* Salt to taste

* 200 ml coconut milk (or water, for a lighter sauce)

Instructions

1. Make the Sauce:

* In a blender or food processor, grind the roasted peanuts, cashew peanuts, garlic and chilies until they form a smooth paste

* Add palm sugar, sweet soy sauce, tamarind water, and salt, blending to mix well

* Slowly add coconut milk while blending to achieve a thick but pourable sauce, Adjust salt and sweetness to taste

2. Assemble the Salad:

* Arrange the blanched bean sprouts, spinach, cabbage, cucumber, potato, tofu, tempe, and boiled eggs on a large serving platter. 

3. Add Sauce and Toppings:

* Pour the peanut-cashew sauce over the salad, or serve it on the side.

* Top with shrimp crackers for a crunchy finish

Voila! Enjoy your homemade gado-gado!. The cashew adds a unique richness to the sauce.