Equipment
* optional
Ingredients
Peanut Sauce
- 200 g roasted peanuts, unsalted, skinless
- 30 ml vegetable oil, liquid
- 2 shallot, peeled, minced
- 3 garlic, peeled, minced
- 2 red bird's eye chili, stemmed, seeded, finely minced
- 200 ml coconut milk, full fat, unsweetened
- 150 ml water
- 35 g palm sugar, finely grated
- 30 ml sweet soy sauce
- 20 g tamarind paste, seedless concentrate
- 3 makrut lime leaves, bruised, central stem removed
- 4 g fine sea salt
Vegetables
- 300 g new potato, scrubbed, halved
- 320 g green cabbage, cut into 4 cm squares
- 160 g green beans, stem ends trimmed, cut into 5 cm pieces
- 100 g mung bean sprouts, rinsed, drained
- 140 g english cucumber, sliced into 5 mm half-moons
Poached Shrimp
- 450 g black tiger shrimp, raw, shell-on, deveined
- 1000 ml water
- 1 lemongrass, bruised stalk
- 5 g fine sea salt
Garnish
- 25 g fried shallots
- 1 lime, cut into 4 wedges
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
Only basic nutrition values are available for this recipe. More detailed nutrient data is incomplete.
- Calories
- 747 kcal
- Protein
- 35 g
- Carbohydrates
- 57 g
- Fat
- 46 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Peel and devein the raw shrimp, discarding shells and tails, and immediately wash hands, cutting boards, and knives with warm soapy water to prevent cross-contamination.
Mince the shallots, garlic cloves, and red bird's eye chilies on a clean cutting board using a sharp chef knife.
Grind the roasted peanuts in a food processor using short pulses until they form a sandy, coarse meal without turning into butter.
Sauté the minced shallot, garlic, and chili in 30 ml vegetable oil in a medium saucepan set over medium heat at 160°C (320°F) for 3 minutes until aromatic and pale golden.
Simmer the peanut sauce by whisking the ground peanuts, coconut milk, 150 ml water, grated palm sugar, sweet soy sauce, tamarind paste, bruised makrut lime leaves, and 4 g salt into the saucepan over low heat at 90°C (194°F) for 10 minutes until thick and glossy.
Steam the halved new potatoes in a steamer basket set over rapidly boiling water at 100°C (212°F) for 12 minutes until completely tender when pierced with a fork.
Steam the cut green cabbage and trimmed green beans in the steamer basket at 100°C (212°F) for 4 minutes until vibrant in color and crisp-tender.
Steam the mung bean sprouts in the steamer basket at 100°C (212°F) for 1 minute until heated through yet still crunchy.
Poach the peeled shrimp in a separate saucepan with 1000 ml water, bruised lemongrass stalk, and 5 g salt maintained at a gentle simmer of 88°C (190°F) for 3 minutes until the flesh is thoroughly opaque and pearly-white throughout.
Drain the poached shrimp with a slotted spoon onto a plate, and discard the poaching lemongrass stalk.
Assemble the dish by arranging the steamed new potatoes, cabbage, green beans, mung bean sprouts, sliced cucumber, and poached shrimp in organized clusters across a large serving platter.
Ladle 200 ml of the warm peanut sauce evenly across the vegetables and shrimp on the platter, reserving the remainder in a side bowl.
Garnish the platter by scattering crispy fried shallots over the sauced ingredients and nestling fresh lime wedges along the rim for squeezing.
Chef's Notes
- Grinding whole roasted peanuts creates the signature coarse, granular texture essential to authentic Indonesian bumbu kacang that commercial peanut butter cannot replicate.
- Steaming the vegetables in separate timed batches ensures that dense new potatoes achieve creamy tenderness while delicate cabbage and bean sprouts preserve essential crispness.
- Bruising the lemongrass stalk and tearing the makrut lime leaves ruptures essential oil glands, infusing delicate citrus aromas deeply into both the sauce and poaching broth.
- Keep raw seafood prep strictly segregated from cooked and ready-to-eat produce by sanitizing boards and knives prior to slicing the fresh cucumber and garnishes.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store the cooked shrimp, steamed vegetables, and peanut sauce in separate airtight containers within two hours of preparation to preserve texture and food safety.
Reheating: Reheat refrigerated peanut sauce gently in a saucepan over low heat to a minimum internal temperature of 74°C (165°F), whisking in 15 to 30 ml of warm water if too thick. Serve vegetables and shrimp lightly chilled or gently brought to room temperature, or reheat shrimp until steaming hot at 74°C (165°F).
Troubleshooting
Peanut sauce separates into a broken, oily surface
Cause: The sauce simmered at too high of a heat or boiled too aggressively, breaking the coconut oil emulsion
Fix: Remove the saucepan from the heat source and whisk in 15 to 30 ml of hot water vigorously until the sauce re-emulsifies
Prevention: Keep heat set to low and maintain a gentle simmer below 95°C (203°F)
Shrimp is tough, rubbery, and dry
Cause: Shrimp was poached too long or left resting in hot poaching water past doneness
Fix: Cannot be fixed; slice the shrimp thinly and toss thoroughly in warm peanut sauce to restore moisture sensation
Prevention: Remove shrimp immediately with a slotted spoon the instant an internal reading of 63°C (145°F) is achieved
Steamed vegetables release excess water and dilute the peanut sauce
Cause: Vegetables were plated straight from the steamer basket without adequate draining
Fix: Gently blot the platter with clean paper towels prior to spooning the peanut sauce over the ingredients
Prevention: Allow steamed cabbage and sprouts to drain in a colander or rest on clean paper towels for two minutes before arranging
Cultural Context
Rooted in the diverse Indonesian culinary tradition of Gado-Gado and Pecel, this dish celebrates the harmony between lightly cooked garden vegetables, seafood, and freshly ground peanut dressing. Across Java and Bali, market vendors pound fiery aromatics and roasted peanuts directly on volcanic stone cobek mortars, tailoring accompaniments to coastal bounty such as locally netted prawns.
