It's never too late

Gado Gado  This is a simple, fresh dish from Indonesia.  I had the best plate of Gado Gado in a small Indian restaurant in Germany.  Since that time, I have been trying to reproduce the recipe, and finally found a combination that works beautifully!  The color and aromas of this dish will delight the consumers.  This is an easy recipe, but takes about an hour to prepare. Pick and choose what you wish to place on your plate!

1. On individual plates, arrange a bed of fresh or cooked spinach. (I prefer the fresh)

2.  Cook 2 cups of rice using 1 cup coconut milk and 2 cups water, adding 1 tsp of tumeric to the rice in the middle of the cooking.  Add 1 cup of rice to each plate.

3.  Lightly steam whatever you like from the following ingredients and sprinkle over the rice:
      - mung bean sprouts
      - 2-3 medium carrots, thinly sliced
      -1/2 head of thinly shredded red and green cabbage
      -1/2 lb fresh green beans
      - small bunch of broccoli or cauliflower florets

4.  Add cubed tofu and chopped hardboiled eggs, to taste

5.  THE SAUCE:
    1 TBSP peanut oil
    1 cup minced onion
    1 TBSP fresh grated ginger
    1 and 1/2 cups peanut butter
    2 cups hot water
    2-3 TBSP cider vinegar
    2 TBSP soy sauce
    1 tsp salt
    1 TBSP brown sugar or honey
    3 TBSP lemon juice

Heat the peanut oil in a large pan and add the onion and the ginger.  Saute for 10 minutes.  Simmer over very low heat while whisking for about 15 minutes.  Taste to adjust seasoning.  At this time, I usually add more salt and lemon juice.  Drizzle the sauce over the rice and vegetables.  Saute additional onions, ginger slices, and garlic cloves in red pepper flakes to garnish over the top.


"It's never too late to become the person you always wanted to be."
                                                             - George Eliot