GADO GADO

 

What is it about peanut butter?  I mean I like bacon.  Everyone goes wild over bacon, but honestly I like peanut butter more!  Creamy, delicious and versatile.  Sweet or savory.

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.