Gado-gado

Recipe
Sauce serves 3

Ingredients (base): Incorporate any of the following ingredients

• eggs
• green beans
• carrots
• cauliflower
• broccoli
• bean sprouts
• cucumber
• cabbage
  

Ingredients (sauce):

• 1/3 cup peanut butter
• 2 t soy sauce
• liquid stevia to taste
• 1 T lime juice
• 1/4 c coconut milk
• 1/4 c water
• red chili flakes
• 1 clove crushed (pureed) garlic
  

The base should be prepared in advance so that it has time to cool.

Bring a pot of lightly salted water to boil. Fill a bowl with cool water (ice cubes may be added). Prepare the vegetables while waiting:

• Broccoli: cut into mid-sized florets
• Cabbage: cut in narrow strips
• Carrots: peel and cut in small rounds
• Cauliflower: cut into mid-sized florets
• Cucumber: peel and slice into rounds
• Green beans: cut into bite-sized pieces

Cook the vegetables briefly; they should retain a crispy texture. Don't mix the different types of vegetables when cooking, although the same water can be re-used for the next batch of vegetables.

• Bean sprouts: 30 seconds
  
• Broccoli: no more than 4 minutes
• Cabbage: 1 minute
• Carrots: 3 minutes
• Cauliflower: no more than 2 minutes
• Cucumber: do not cook
• Green beans: 3 minutes

Once the vegetables have cooked, remove them from the boiling water and put them in the bowl with the cool water to prevent them from cooking further.

Drain the vegetables and put them in the fridge until needed.

Hard-boil the eggs, if using them, and put them in the fridge until needed.

The sauce can be made just before serving.

In a small saucepan, add all ingredients except the water and stevia. Mix well. Add in the water. Bring the sauce to a light boil over medium heat, until it begins to thicken. Sweeten to taste with stevia.

The sauce can be served hot or cold, but the base should be served cold.

Arrange the vegetables and peeled, cut eggs on plates and drizzle with the peanut sauce.

Source

The recipe for the peanut sauce is slightly modified from one given by Cooking with Amy. The remainder of the recipe has been in my possession for so long that I no longer know where it originated, although I'm reasonably certain I got it off Usenet.

Notes

If carbs are not a consideration, you can add some boiled new potatoes as well.

This dish can easily be made vegan by eliminating the eggs.

I usually leave out the cauliflower and cabbage and use all the remaining vegetables. I like the sauce warm, to contrast with the cool vegetables. It's a refreshing summer dish on days when it seems too hot to cook.