Let fresh spring vegetables star in meals
Even though there’s a chilly edge many days, sunny evenings are
signaling the changing of seasons, silently urging more of us into
our gardens.
The produce bins at the supermarket or vegetable beds out back
are signaling change as well. Our artichokes are starting to bear,
but beautiful large globes can be had at the supermarket for less
than a dollar. Asparagus, so fresh that its stems are still
dripping, is available as well.
Let fresh spring vegetables star in meals
Even though there’s a chilly edge many days, sunny evenings are signaling the changing of seasons, silently urging more of us into our gardens.
The produce bins at the supermarket or vegetable beds out back are signaling change as well. Our artichokes are starting to bear, but beautiful large globes can be had at the supermarket for less than a dollar. Asparagus, so fresh that its stems are still dripping, is available as well.
It’s all conspiring to get me thinking of meals using vegetables as the stars. They don’t know it yet, but tonight the family will be eating gado-gado, an Indonesian melange that stars vegetables.
The beauty of the dish is that just about any vegetables work. A variety of ingredients, quickly blanched and arranged on a platter, are set off with a spicy peanut sauce. The whole thing can be served warm or at room temperature. It’s the kind of meal that invites people to pick items off a common platter with chopsticks, dipping as they go.
Here’s what’s for dinner, based on what’s in the vegetable bins in the fridge.
Gado-gado
½ head napa cabbage, sliced thin
3 carrots, sliced thin
1 bunch asparagus
2 c. sugar-snap peas
1 pkg. bean sprouts
1 pkg. rice stick noodles
2 hard boiled eggs, quartered
3 shallots, sliced thinly and fried until crisp
½ cucumber, peeled and sliced
2 red potatoes, boiled
Cooking oil
1 pkg. firm tofu
1 tsp. sesame oil
2 tbsp. chopped cilantro
Cube the tofu and fry in hot oil until slightly browned and crispy outside. If you wish, the tofu can be marinated first in soy sauce, rice vinegar and brown sugar, blended to taste. Heat water to boiling in a large pot fitted with a strainer and salt lightly. Blanch cabbage, carrots, asparagus, peas and bean sprouts individually, cooking each until tender-crisp. Refresh each briefly in cold water and arrange on a platter. Cook rice stick noodles briefly until tender, toss with sesame oil and cilantro and add to the plate.
Top with potatoes, cucumber, fried tofu and eggs, scatter crispy shallots over all. Serve with peanut sauce on the side
Peanut sauce
If you’re pressed for time, the peanuts can be swapped for natural-style peanut butter, but roasting peanuts yields a more flavorful sauce with a more interesting texture.
2 tbsp. peanut oil
1 c. raw peanuts, shelled and skinned
3 cloves garlic, chopped
4 shallots, chopped
1 tsp. red chili powder
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tbsp. soy sauce, or a blend of soy and fish sauce
2 c. water
1 tbsp. lemon juice or tamarind water
Roast the peanuts in a dry skillet on low heat for about 10 minutes until they begin to turn light brown, stirring frequently. Allow to cool. Grind the peanuts to a fine powder in a blender, coffee grinder or food processor.
Pound garlic, shallots and a pinch of salt in a mortar, or just use the blender. Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the garlic-shallot paste for a few minutes, being sure not to let it burn. Add chili powder, sugar, soy sauce and water and bring to a boil. Add ground nuts and simmer until the sauce thickens, about eight minutes. Remove from the heat, and add tamarind sauce or lemon juice. Salt to taste, if necessary.
