My salads tend to be fairly boring: lettuce, tomatoes, onion, cucumbers, usually tossed with oil and balsamic vinegar.

This was an opportunity to do something a bit different and to be honest this is quite a departure from normal salads.

It looks great too!

The Cooking Light book calls this recipe Shortcut Gado Gado.

I think I might look online for a more authentic Gado Gado recipe the next time I’m in a mood to make it.

Recipe

The only downside to this salad is that it takes close to an hour to make.

The incredible upside is that the tofu, which I typically don’t favor, ended up finger-licking delicious. Seriously - I think we ate the tofu pretty much by itself and I’m looking forward to making it again.

Ingredients

4 large eggs 1 1/2 cups julienne-cut carrot 1 1/2 cups green beans, trimmed 11/2 cups fresh bean sprouts* 1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips 1/2 English cucumber, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices (about 2 cups) 1 (14-ounce) package of water-packed extra-firm tofu, drained 1 tablespoon cornstarch 2 teaspoons red curry powder or Madras curry powder (or mix both!) 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons canola oil 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter 3 tablespoons hot water 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice 1 tablespoon lower-sodium soy sauce 2 teaspoons brown sugar 2 teaspoons Thai red curry paste 1/4 teaspoon salt

Preparation

(You’ll be needing a lot of larger bowls.)

1. Place eggs in a large saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a rolling boil; cover, remove from heat, and let stand 12 minutes.
   Remove eggs from pan with a slotted spoon; rinse with cold water.
   Peel eggs; cut in half.
2. Return water to a boil.
   Add carrot, and cook 1 minute.
   Remove carrot wih slotted spoon; drain and rinse with cold water.
   Drain and place in a bowl. Add green beans to boiling water, and cook 4 minutes or until crisp-tender.
   Remove green beans with a slotted spoon; drain and place in a separate bowl.
   Arrange 2 egg halves, about 1/3 cup carrot, 1/3 cup green beans, 1/3 cup bean sprouts, 1/4 cup red bell pepper, and 1/2 cup cucumber on each of 4 plates.
3. Cut tofu lengthwise into 4 (1/2-inch-thick) slices.
   Place tofu slices on several layers of paper towels.
   Cover tofu with additional paper towels; let stand 5 minutes. (You’re looking to dry the tofu as much as possible)
   Cut each tofu slice crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick strips.
   Combine cornstarch, curry powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; gently toss with tofu to coat.
4. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
   Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add tofu to pan; cook 10 minutes or until crisp and browned, turning to brown on all sides.
   Divide tofu evenly among plates.
5. Combine peanut butter and next 6 ingredients in a bowl; stir with a whisk until smooth.

Serve each salad with about 3 tablespoons dressing.

Serves 4.

• calories 449;
• fat 29.1g (sat 5.6g, mongo 12.7g, poly 9.3g);
• protein 24.3g;
• carbs 27.1g;
• fiber 5.9g;
• cholesterol 212mg;
• iron 4.1mg; sodium 645mg; calcium 158mg