Gado-gado

Ingredients

• 4 large eggs
• 1 pounds potatoes – peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 2 carrots – thinly sliced
• 8 ounces green beans – trimmed
• 8 ounces cabbage – shredded
• 4 cups spinach
• 2 cups bean sprouts
• 1 cucumber – thinly sliced
• 0.5 cup neutral oil – for frying tofu and tempeh
• 14 ounces firm tofu – pressed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 8 ounces tempeh – sliced into 0.5-inch strips
• 1.5 cups roasted unsalted peanuts
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 red chiles – stemmed
• 2 tablespoons palm sugar – finely grated
• 1 tablespoon tamarind paste
• 0.75 teaspoon salt
• 1.25 cups water
• 2 tablespoons kecap manis
• 1 lime – juiced
• lime – wedges (for serving)

Instructions

1. Place the large eggs in a saucepan, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a gentle simmer and cook 9–10 minutes until yolks are set. Cool under cold water, peel, and halve.
2. In a separate pot, boil the potatoes in lightly salted water until tender when pierced, 12–15 minutes. Drain, cool slightly, and cut into 1-inch chunks if not already.
3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch the carrots and green beans until crisp-tender, 2–3 minutes; transfer to an ice bath to stop cooking.
4. In the same pot, blanch the cabbage and spinach just until wilted, 30–60 seconds, then the bean sprouts for 30 seconds; shock each in the ice bath. Drain all blanched vegetables well and pat dry.
5. Slice the cucumber thinly and set aside.
6. Heat the neutral oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the firm tofu, turning occasionally, until golden on most sides, 6–8 minutes; drain on paper towels. Fry the tempeh until golden, 3–4 minutes per side; drain.
7. For the peanut sauce, grind the roasted unsalted peanuts, garlic, red chiles, palm sugar, tamarind paste, and salt in a mortar and pestle or blender until a coarse paste forms.
8. Scrape the paste into a small saucepan, stir in the measured water to make a thick but pourable sauce, and simmer over medium-low, stirring, 5–8 minutes until glossy and thick enough to coat a spoon. Stir in the kecap manis and the lime juice; adjust salt to taste and keep warm.
9. Arrange the potatoes, carrots, green beans, cabbage, spinach, bean sprouts, cucumber, tofu, and tempeh on a large platter. Add the halved eggs on top.
10. Spoon the warm peanut sauce generously over the platter just before serving. Serve with lime wedges.