I was first introduced to the Malaysian Gado Gado salad about 10 years ago by a friend of mine who told me it was the best salad he'd ever eaten. Although this is brilliant as part of a wider meal we happily sit down and eat this wholesome dish as a main course too. I'm sure Malaysian cooks make Gado Gado with whatever they have to hand, the list of ingredients are fairly interchangeable. The key to making this salad great is to have a variety to textures and flavours all wrapped up an amazing peanut satay dressing.
We are incredibly lucky to have the amazing Ping Coombes on our doorstep, the winner of Masterchef in 2014. Ping is such a talent in the kitchen and a brand ambassador for Jimmy's Sate Sauce. Ping has given me this satay sauce recipe using Jimmy's as the base. The sauce is incredibly versatile, it's fantastic used on noodle salads or just as a traditional peanut satay dipping sauce with grilled meats. It will become your go-to favourite, it's so tasty.
Serves 4
For the Peanut Satay Dressing
60g Jimmy's Sate Sauce
20g Crunchy Peanut Butter
6g Sesame Oil
40g Rice Vinegar
40g Plum Sauce (or sweet chilli sauce or just sugar)
5g Minced Garlic
10g Minced Ginger
10g Cold Water
150ml Coconut Milk
For the salad
180g French Beans, blanched in boiling water until tender
500g New Potatoes, boiled and cut into chunks
2 Carrots, peeled and thinly sliced into strips
120g Bean Sprouts
½ Cucmber, deseeded and sliced
2 Fresh Eggs
Small Bunch of Fresh Coriander, finely chopped
Salt
1. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Trim the top of the beans and drop them into the boiling water. Cook for around 2-3 minutes, you want the beans to be just tender and still a little crunchy. It's important not to overcook them so keep a close eye on them and take one or two out to test them. Once they're ready, remove with a slotted spoon and cool them down as quickly as possible under cold running water.
2. In the same saucepan of boiling water, cook the potatoes. I've used new potatoes which I've cooked whole, leaving the skin on. If you have large potatoes, it's best to peel them first and cut into bite sized chunks before cooking. Cook the potatoes until nice and tender, then drain and cool quickly in cold water. Once cooled, new potatoes will need chopping in half or in quarters, depending in their size.
3. Peel the carrots and slice them into thin strips. I have a really great julienne peeler which does this job for you in seconds, well worth the small investment for moments like this.
4. Boil the eggs for around 6 minutes if you like the yolk to be still a little runny, longer if you prefer them to be set hard,
5. To make the satay sauce, weigh out all the ingredients and mix together.
6. To assemble, mix all the salad ingredients together with the chopped coriander, dress with the satay sauce and gently mix again. Top with the boiled eggs.
Enjoy! And don't forget to tag us @somerset.foodie (instagram) or @SomersetFoodie (facebook) if you make this at home.
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