Gado Gado Sauce

An Indonesian peanut sauce served with steamed vegetables.

Ingredients

• 1 small onion, chopped finely


• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped finely


• 2 tsp of finely chopped fresh ginger


• 2 tsp of ground coriander


• 1 tsp of ground cumin


• 1 finely chopped chili (optional)


• 400ml of thin coconut milk (I prefer to use water instead of coconut milk to make it lighter)


• 8 tbsp of crunchy peanut butter


• 3 finely chopped dates or date pulp


• plenty of lemon juice - to taste

Method

In a heated saucepan without oil, gently fry onions, garlic & ginger in the oil until they are soft & golden. Add ground spices to onion mixture & continue to fry for a minute or so, until the spices give off a pungent aroma. The spicy onion mixture will be sticking to the bottom of the saucepan at this stage. Deglaze saucepan with some water, turning the spicy onion mixture into a paste like consistency. Add coconut milk or water, peanut butter & date paste & stir until the sauce is a homogeneous consistency. Add water for a thinner sauce or reduce for a thicker sauce. Season to taste with salt, pepper, or extra chili, and lemon juice. The most important thing about a recipe is to have fun with it & modify it to your own tastes. Have fun & experiment!

Serve on a platter of steamed veggies - cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, string beans, spinach, boiled potatoes and sprouts.