Melati’s Lazy Girl Karedok

Serves: 2
Time: 30 min

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Ingredients

Salad: 

• 1 cup very thinly shaved green or red cabbage

• 1 Persian cucumber, cut into fine matchsticks

• 1/2 cup green beans or long beans, sliced lengthwise into thin strips

• 1/2 cup mung bean sprouts

• 1 cup loosely packed lemon basil (or Thai basil or cilantro), torn

• A handful of crispy fried onions

• 5 oz tempeh (½ block), cut into bite-size cubes

• Neutral oil, for pan-frying

Optional for serving:

• Roughly chopped roasted peanuts

• Shrimp crackers

  Peanut Dressing: 

• 1/2 cup crunchy roasted peanut butter

• 1 garlic clove, very finely minced or grated

• 2 small shallots, very finely minced

• 1/2 Fresno chili, finely minced (adjust to heat preference)

• Juice of 2 limes

• 1/2 tsp high quality tamarind paste

• 2 tbsp coconut sugar

• 1 tbsp fish sauce (or soy sauce for vegetarian)

• Salt, to taste

• 2–4 tbsp warm water, to thin

  Optional:

• ¼ tsp toasted fermented shrimp paste (briefly heated in a dry pan)

• 1 tsp kencur root, soaked and pounded into a paste

Instructions

1. Crisp the tempeh.
   Heat a thin layer of neutral oil in a pan over medium heat. Fry the tempeh cubes until golden and crisp on all sides. Lightly salt and transfer to a paper towel–lined plate to drain.

2. Build the salad.
   Add the sliced cabbage and green beans to a bowl and lightly bruise with a pestle or bottle base until tender.

3. Add the cucumber, mung bean sprouts, herbs, and fried onions.

4. Make the dressing.
   In a separate bowl, whisk together the peanut dressing ingredients until smooth, adding splashes of water as needed to loosen. The dressing should be thick but spoonable.

5. Dress and toss.
   Pour the dressing over the vegetables and toss thoroughly to coat.

6. Finish and serve.
   Transfer to a serving plate and top with crispy tempeh. Garnish with optional peanuts, shrimp crackers, and extra fried onions. Serve immediately for maximum crunch.

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