Gado Gado Salad

As all salads go, this one wins as my favourite salad. Its a bit fussy because of the dressing , but combines health , taste and visual appeal in one simply irresistible dish. I often eat it as a complete dinner along with a simple tomato soup. The dressing once made, keeps well for 2-3 days. So you can enjoy this salad once more. Aaaah.

Its basically a combination of cooked and raw vegetables. Its got crispness , its got crunch and the satiator of all cravings PEANUT BUTTER. You can use crushed roasted unsalted peanuts if you like instead. Every next person has a slight variation in the dressing of this salad. It does'nt matter, you may find your own variation by tweaking a couple of ingredients. I'm giving here my suggested dressing.

For the Dressing
1 tblsp Mango Chutney / any sweet and sour pickle
2 cloves Garlic
1 Green Chilli
1 tblsp Lime Juice
1 tblsp soy sauce
a small bunch fresh corriander leaves
1/2 cup Chunky Peanut butter or Crushed roasted peanuts

4 tbsp Coconut Milk
salt to taste


Vegetables
Blanched French Beans kept whole and chilled
Blanched carrot juliennes as thick as the beans and chilled
Shredded cabbage/ chinese cabbage

Blanched Broccoli

Blanched Caulifower
Beansprouts
Sliced Tomatoes
Thick Cucumber Juliennes
Shredded Lettuce

Cubed, boiled potatoes( can be fried if you like) 

I have not mentioned the quantity of vegetables , but roughly about 4 cups of all vegetables mixed is good. Any vegetable can be skipped. Honestly this is a great salad to make if you are cleaning out your fridge. Just use whichever of these are available.
Put all the dressing ingredients , except peanut butter/ peanuts , into a blender. Puree them. Mix in the peanut butter/ peanuts and give one short whip.
Mix the vegetables and pour the dressing on it. Serve without mixing. You can serve it with a boiled egg on the side or sliced tofu. You can added boiled chicken. A sprinkle of brown fried onions adds a nice flavour to the salad.