Gado-Gado

Method

1. 1Boil the potato until tender when pierced with a knife, about 15 minutes depending on size. Bring a separate pot of salted water to a full rolling boil. Cook the green beans in it at a hard boil until tender all the way through — bite one: there should be no squeaky raw core. Raw or barely blanched green beans contain phasin, which only high heat destroys, so a quick dip is not enough for them. Then add the cabbage and carrot slices to the same water for 1–2 minutes, just enough to take the raw edge off while they stay bright and slightly crunchy. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking.
2. 2Make the peanut sauce: in a mortar (or blender), pound the roasted peanuts, garlic, chili, and palm sugar into a rough paste. You want some texture, not baby food. Add the soy sauce, tamarind paste (or lime juice), sesame oil, and water. Stir until you have a thick, glossy sauce. Taste it — it should hit sweet, salty, sour, and spicy all at once. Adjust with more sugar, lime, or chili as needed.
3. 3Slice the boiled potato into rounds about 5 mm thick. Cut the cucumber into half-rounds. If using a boiled egg, peel it and cut in half lengthwise. Keep the lettuce leaves and bean sprouts raw and crisp.
4. 4Line a plate or shallow bowl with the lettuce leaves. Arrange the vegetables in neat clusters — potato rounds, green beans, cabbage, carrot, cucumber, and bean sprouts — so each ingredient is visible and the plate looks abundant.
5. 5Drizzle the warm peanut sauce generously over the vegetables. Top with the egg halves, scatter roasted peanuts on top for crunch, and serve immediately while the sauce is still slightly warm.