Cooked salad with hot peanut sauce (adapted from the cookbook 'Oriental Cookery' by Sallie Morris)
It's already August. We have so many fruits and vegetables to buy from the produce stand and farmer market. I like making this Indonesian dish because it is very easy. Besides, who wants to stay in the kitchen on a hot day? Most of the vegetables (watercress, potatoes, bean sprouts, cabbage) are simply boiled or steamed. Some (tomatoes, cucumber) are just raw. Most are pretty bland so the pungent sauce is great for it. You can also add boiled eggs, string beans, carrots and tofu to the list. Please no broccoli or spinach.
The ingredients for the sauce are shown in the picture on the left. I just sauteed the diced shallots and garlic with some oil and added the rest (a few tablespoons) in a medium saucepan. The book asks for coconut milk but I skipped it. Not a big fan. I'd go easy on the balachaung and 'Super Tauco' (fermented beans). They can be too strong. The bean paste makes the sauce super sticky and gives depth to the taste (you know, Umami). If you can't find 'Super Tauco,' substitute with Japanese natto, just mesh up a little with a fork. Luckily chili sauce (Sambal Ulek) and peanut butter (from Trader Joe) already come in a bottle, no need to make from scratch. Tamarind requires soaking in water for some time to make the juice. The combination of all these just take you instantly to South East Asia. Selamat Maken!BTW, thanks to the Dutch colonials who brought the potatoes, peanut, corns, eggplants, chili and peppers from the 'New World' to Asia. And the Indonesians for all kind of spices (black pepper, cardamon, cumin, ginger, coriander, galanggal, nutmeg, cloves, turmeric and so on).
