Gado Gado with Peanut Dressing

Peanut sauce/dressing is something I tend to over-indulge on. Served warm with satay or spring rolls, dressed on mesclun greens or Gado Gado Indonesian salad, peanut sauce always seems to bring a certain satisfaction hard to describe...

For the Gado Gado salad, simply blanch or steam favorite vegetables to crisp-tender - I went with some green beans from my garden, some red potatoes, cauliflower, onions; add some fresh raw vegetables like cucumbers, carrots and crisp Romaine lettuce; I added some slices of Asian pear from our garden for a crisp tart-sweet crunch. Hard boiled eggs cut into wedges, bean sprouts... Arrange them all in a plate, drizzle some peanut sauce and enjoy!

Ingredients:
3-4 generous tablespoonful of chunky peanut butter
2 Tbsp nam prik pow
1 Tbsp kecap manis
½ cup boiling hot water

Stir all the above ingredients together to make a thick dipping sauce. Add more hot water for a thinner version. Garnish with sliced chilies.

Kecap manis, when I discovered it about 5 or 6 years ago, became an instant favorite and a staple in my kitchen. It is wonderfully thick, dark, sweet soy; not salty; good marinade...