Vegetables with Hot Peanut Sauce (Pecel )

Pecel is an Indonesian sauce based on peanuts. It is commonly served over boiled vegetables. It is similar to the sauce used in Gado-gado. The famous pecel is from Madiun, East Java, namely Pecel Madiun. In Solo, Central Java there is another pecel, that is called Pecel Ndeso (In Indonesia: Pecel Desa, means pecel dish from a village), that used biji wijen (sesame seed) as a sauce based, not peanuts. Pecel Ndeso usually is sold by a vendor that walk around kampong in Solo, whether in Jakarta, rarely Pecel Madiun is also sold by vendor that walk around kampong. It served in a kind of plate that is made from banana leaves called pincuk. Curious to make Pecel Madiun by yourself? Here the recipe:

Ingredients:

200 gr young cassava leaves

200 gr spinach

200 gr bean sprouts

200 gr cabbage

200 gr long bean, sliced 3 cm

For Sambal Pecel or Pecel Sauce:

250 gr peanuts, fry, grinded or 6 tablespoon peanut butter

2 red pepper

6 small chili (cabe rawit)

6 cloves of garlic

6 cm kencur (Kempferia galangal)

12 kaffir lime leaves, sliced thin

2 teaspoon prawn paste
100 gr palm sugar
2 tablespoon tamarind essence
1 teaspoon salt
300 ml hot water

4 tablespoon cooking oil

How to make it:

1. Boil all vegetables separately. Except for bean sprouts, just wet with boiling water. Put aside.

2. For Pecel Sauce: Stir fry red pepper, small chili, garlic and kempferia galangal until faded. Grind with cobek or food grinder.

3. Add kaffir lime leaves, prawn paste, palm sugar, salt, tamarind essence and peanuts. Grind again.

4. Add hot water and mixed it until it becomes a smooth, thick dough.

5. Served all boiled vegetables with Pecel Sauce as an appetizer. As a dish, you can eat it with warm Nasi. You can also complete the dish with boiled egg and kerupuk udang or kerupuk bawang (shrimp or garlic crispy crackers)