Recipe: Cauliflower and Carrots with a Coconut Dressing (Indonesia)

Cauliflower and Carrots
with a Coconut Dressing

Coconut Gudangan (Indonesia)

Serves 4

This Javanese dish, eaten with slight variations throughout much of Indonesia, consists of blanched mixed vegetables tossed with an exquisite dressing that includes lime juice, coconut, and red bell pepper. It is an inspired mixture. The main ingredient here is cauliflower, but it could equally well be greens of various sorts, long beans, or bean sprouts.

You may serve the dish hot, at room temperature, or cold, though I feel that it is best to mix the dressing in while the vegetables are still hot. Ingredients:

1 pound cauliflower florets
1 teaspoon dark brown sugar
1 large, or 2 small carrots
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
A red bell pepper
Salt
1 garlic clove
2 ounces (1-1/4 cups) finely grated fresh coconut
4 teaspoons lime or lemon juice

Instructions:

1. Cut the cauliflower into slim delicate florets—no wider than 1 inch, with stems no longer than 2 inches. Peel the carrots and cut into 2-inch lengths. Quarter the thick pieces lengthwise; halve the thinner pointed ends.

2. Deseed and coarsely chop the red pepper. Peel and chop the garlic. In a blender, combine the red pepper, garlic, lime juice, sugar, chili powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Blend until smooth. Taste the dressing and add a little more salt if required.

3. Bring a large pan of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the cauliflower and carrots and boil rapidly for several minutes, or until the vegetables are just tender but still retain a hint of crispness.

4. Drain them quickly and turn into a serving bowl. Add the dressing and toss to mix. Sprinkle in the coconut and toss the vegetables again. Serve immediately, or allow to cool.

Buy the Book!

from:
Madhur Jaffrey's Step-By-Step Cooking
Over 150 Dishes from India and the Far East
Including Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia
by Madhur Jaffrey
Ecco
Pages: 272; $37.50; $56.50 (CAN)
ISBN: 0066214025
Recipe reprinted by permission.