Indonesian Vegetable Salad

This salad, based on a recipe from Real Simple, is a take on "lalab" - a raw vegetable salad typically served with chili paste; this version incorporates a few other Indonesian staples such as curry, peanut sauce, and tofu in place of the chili.  This fresh, colorful, flavorful, protein-packed salad makes for a filling, nutritious lunch - I hope you enjoy it!

YIELD: 4 quart-sized salads

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/3 c peanut butter
• 3 tbsp water
• 3 tbsp freshly-squeezed lime juice
• 1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• 2 tsp red curry paste
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 tsp curry powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 14 oz extra-firm tofu, drained
• cooking spray
• 4 eggs, hard-boiled, peeled, and quartered
• 1 large carrot, peeled, halved, and thinly sliced
• 1 cup fresh green beans, sliced into 1-inch pieces
• 1 large red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 cucumber, halved, seeded, and sliced
• 1 cup mung bean sprouts
• 1/2 head green cabbage, cored and shredded

DIRECTIONS:

1. Make the peanut sauce: combine the peanut butter, water, lime juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, curry paste, and salt in a pint-sized mason jar or other tall container.  Puree and emulsify the sauce using a handheld stick blender.  
2. Make the tofu: combine the cornstarch, curry powder, and salt in a low bowl or on a plate.  Cut the tofu into 4 equal pieces, and dredge each piece in the cornstarch mixture.  Pan-fry, broil, or grill the tofu until browned.  Cool, and slice into 1/2-inch pieces
3. Pack the salads: divide the peanut sauce among 4 tall quart-sized containers.  Layer the tofu, egg, carrot, green beans, bell pepper, cucumber, bean sprouts, and cabbage in the jars. Refrigerate until serving.
4. Enjoy your salad: invert your salad onto a plate or into a bowl.

TIME-SAVING TIPS: Add 2 tsp curry paste to 1/2 cup of your favorite store-bought peanut sauce and substitute for the homemade peanut sauce.  Use bagged, pre-shredded coleslaw mix instead of the cabbage and carrot.

SPECIAL DIET SWAPS: This salad is vegetarian as-is.  For a vegan salad, omit the egg.  For a nut-free salad, substitute sunflower seed butter for the peanut butter.  For a gluten-free salad, substitute gluten-free tamari for the soy sauce, and check to make sure your curry paste is labeled "gluten-free."

Food styling, photography, and infographics by Robert Campbell.