My husband said this dish is a bit like deconstructed spring rolls. Yes, it kind of is. Way less work though.
You can make everything in advance which is kind of nice. The hardest part about this dish is all the chopping. But frankly chopping vegetables is a stress reliever for me so I dont mind. It is worth any amount of work you put in. Great flavor. You made need to play around with the ingredients to get the right balance of sweet and tart with a hint of heat.
GADO GADO
4 garlic cloves
1/3 cup Tomato paste
1 cup peanuts or 1/2 cup peanut butter
1 Mild chile such as Pablano, if you like more heat you can choose a jalapeño or cayenne
1/4 cup Shallots or one small onion
Hand full of Chives
2 tablespoons Kecap mainis
1/2 cup Tamarind juice, like concentrate
1/2 cup water
Lime juice, 1 to 2 limes
Some things you can have on your tray might include:
Green beans
Cucumbers
Sugar snap peas, parboiled
Tofu, cooked
Boiled eggs
Purple cabbage
Brown rice
Carrots, parboiled
Green bell peppers
Aromatics:
Mint
Thai basil or regular basil
Cilantro
Arrange everything on a platter. You can get pretty artistic here. Lots of fun.
In the center you can put your sauce. People can take there choice of vegetables and protein and the some sauce. The brown rice goes nicely along side if you like.
