Lotek - Steamed Vegetables with Peanut Dressing

Serves 4 Preparation time: 20 mins Cooking time: 5 mins

The sauce served with this cooked vegetable salad has ground peanuts for extra flavor and nutrition. It is said that Sundanese women have such beautiful skin because they eat so many vegetables.

Step 1. Make the Lotek Dressing by pulsing the peanuts in a blender until coarsely ground, then add the kencur, chilies, dried shrimp paste, palm sugar, salt and water and grind to a smooth sauce. Set aside.

Step 2. To prepare the vegetables, rinse and trim the young shoots of the water spinach or spinach from the main stems. Peel and dice the pumpkin or squash. Cut the green beans into lengths. Bring a saucepan of water to a boil over medium heat, then blanch the vegetables until cooked (about 30 seconds for the bean sprouts, 1 minute for the spinach, 1 to 2 minutes for the pumpkin and potato, and 2 to 3 minutes for the green beans). Drain and place the blanched vegetables on a serving platter.

Step 3. Drizzle the dressing over the vegetables, then toss well to coat the vegetables before serving.

• 6 oz (175 g) water spinach (kangkung) or spinach
• 6 oz (175 g) pumpkin or squash
• 6 oz (175 g) green beans
• 1 large potato, peeled and diced
• 1 cup (50 g) bean sprouts, seed coats and tails discarded

Lotek Dressing

• 1/2 cup (75 g) fried or roasted unsalted peanuts
• 3/4 in (2 cm) fresh kencur root, peeled and sliced
• 2–3 bird’s-eye chilies, deseeded
• 1/2 teaspoon dried shrimp paste (trasi), dry-roasted 
• 1 teaspoon shaved palm sugar or dark brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons water