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Prawn

Gado gado salad

A delicious, fresh Indonesian salad made with peanut sauce, and flavoured unusually with a splash of Pedro Ximénez sherry.

Ingredients:

  • 2 free-range eggs
  • 4–5 small salad potatoes, quartered
  • 100g/3½oz fine green beans
  • sesame oil, for frying
  • 100g/3½oz firm tofu, cubed
  • 1 little gem lettuce, chopped
  • 100g/3½oz cucumber, sliced into batons
  • 100g/3½oz fresh beansprouts
  • for the sauce
  • 2 tbsp crunchy peanut butter
  • 1 tsp shrimp paste
  • 1 tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 tbsp soft brown sugar
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 3 tbsp pedro ximénez sherry
  • ½ tsp dried chilli flakes
  • 1 lime, juice only
  • 150ml/5½oz coconut milk
  • 25g/1oz shop-bought crispy onions
  • 2 tbsp fresh coriander, finely chopped
  • 10 prawn crackers, crushed
  • shop-bought red chilli sambal, to serve

Directions:

  • To make the salad, bring a pan of water to the boil. Add the eggs and cook for 6–7 minutes, until soft-boiled. Carefully remove from the boiling water using a slotted spoon. Cool under cold, running water, then peel the eggs and set aside.
  • Meanwhile, heat another pan with boiling, salted water and cook the potatoes until tender (about 10 minutes). Drain and leave to cool.
  • Bring another saucepan of water to the boil and cook the beans for 2-3 minutes, or until just cooked and tender. Drain and cool in a bowl of ice cold water.
  • Heat the sesame oil in a frying pan and add the tofu. Fry until lightly crisp and then remove from the pan to drain on kitchen paper. Leave to cool.
  • To make the sauce, combine all the ingredients in a pan. Place over a low-medium heat and stir to combine, then remove from the heat.
  • To assemble the salad, first put the lettuce in a bowl, then the potatoes, beans, cucumber, eggs, tofu and beansprouts and serve with the sauce poured over. Garnish with crispy onions, coriander, crushed prawn crackers and a bowl of red chilli sambal.