Vegetarian Gado Gado (Vegetables with Spicy Peanut Sauce)

This classic Indonesian dish of blanched vegetables and spicy peanut sauce is one the most popular dishes in the region, with a million different incarnations. The dish is usually topped with shrimp crackers (we've used rice crackers instead) and fried onions. You can fry the onions yourself by dusting the slices in flour and deep-frying, or you can just used pre-prepared fried onions.

1 cup napa cabbage, chopped
2 cups long beans, chopped
1 cup baby corn
1 cup snap peas
1 cup cauliflower florets
1 cup bean sprouts
1 cup fried tofu, diced
1 cucumber, seeded, peeled, and chopped
2 cups red leaf lettuce, roughly chopped
1 tomato, sliced
1/2 cup rice crackers, broken into pieces
2 TB crispy fried onions

For peanut sauce (sambal kacang):

1/2 tsp. laos (galangal) powder
1 cup coconut milk
1 tsp. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 TB soy sauce
1 TB tamarind water
1 tsp. roasted chili powder

Blanch cabbage, beans, cauliflower, baby corn, snap peas, and broccoli in boiling water for 3-4 minutes, or until crisp-tender. Remove. Blanch bean sprouts for one minute and remove. Arrange the lettuce on a serving platter and place blanched vegetables, tofu, sliced tomato, and cucumber slices on top. Combine sauce ingredients in a pan and heat until combined and smooth. Ladle hot peanut sauce over entire platter (or serve on the side for dipping) and serve.