Indonesian Blanched Vegetables Salad With Savory Peanut Sauce Recipe (Lotek)

Lotek is authentic Indonesian salad easily found in West Java and Central Java area. This simple salad is part of family of Indonesian gado-gado salad. Similar to gado-gado, vegetables in lotek are blanched but they are limited to kangkung (ong choy/water spinach), bean sprouts, cabbage, string beans (Chinese long beans), chayote squash and unripe jackfruit. Usually, no egg or other protein sources such as fried tempeh and tofu are added to lotek. The dressing sauce is thicker than gado-gado sauce since boiled potato is added. There are two regional variants of lotek, one is Sundanese (West Java) lotek and another one is Javanese (Central Java). Javanese lotek sauce is sweeter and thinner than Sundanese.

This salad is easy to fix, tasty and loaded with fiber. The peanut sauce in this lotek recipe calls for terasi (shrimp paste). If you are vegetarian, just omit the shrimp paste. Unripe jackfruit is available either in frozen section of Asian supermarket or it is available in the can.

Always toss the vegetables with savory peanut sauce/dressing just before serving to avoid watery salad.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 chayote squashed, peeled and diced

1 can (17 oz) unripe jackfruit, drained

4 oz kangkung (morning glory/water spinach)

4 oz shredeed cabbage

1 1/2 cup bean sprouts, rinsed and drained

4 oz Chinese long beans, cut into 1 1/2-inch lengths

Peanut sauce dressing:

1/3 cup water

5 Thai red chilies

1 tsp ground kencur (lesser galangal)

1/4 tsp shrimp paste (terasi)

1 tsp salt

5 tbsp ground roasted peanuts

1/2 small boiled potato, sliced

1 tbsp tamarind liquid

Garnish:

fried shallot flakes

tapioca crackers (kerupuk)

• In medium saucepan, bring water to a boil over high heat. Then add young jackfruit. Cook about 15 minutes over medium-high heat or until tender. Then transfer to a colander. Drain.
• Return the water to a boil, then add chayote squash and Chinese long beans. Blanch for about 2 minutes. Drain.
• Add cabbage, bean sprouts and water spinach to the boiling water. Blanch for about 1 1/2 minutes. Transfer to a colander and drain.
• To prepare the dressing: put ground roasted peanuts, chilies, palm sugar, salt, shrimp paste (terasi) and lesser galangal powder. Process into a smooth paste then add boiled potato, water and tamarind liquid. Grind to make a smooth peanut sauce. Taste and adjust the taste if necessary.
• Transfer the blanced vegetables to a bowl. Then pour the peanut sauce over it. If you are using mortar and pestle to make the dressing, mix all the vegetables with the peanut sauce before serving. Then transfer it into serving plate.
• Toss the vegetables with peanut sauce. Transfer to individual serving plates. Garnish with fried shallot flakes and tapioca crackers (kerupuk). Serve immediately.