When Neela told me that I would be the right person to commence the Veeba Chef of the month I was pleased. Food plays an integral role in my life as does the cooking. Creating new recipes that are reminiscent of the old is a passion of mine. Getting my kids to try foods I grew up with is a huge plus. I have this combination of South Indian culture with Sindhi blood. So some of my recipes are weird- but hey whatever works !!

A few things you will always find in my kitchen/ refrigerator are : Dosa batter ( This is freshly ground every week as my kids thrive on it). Filter Coffee- This is my one addiction and I need two cups a day. Lemon – we love the khatta- so whether it’s for a juice, salad or soup we liberally use lemon.

Indonesian Gado- Gado

Growing up in a Sindhi household we imbibed many cuisines and or dishes that we heard about when relatives visited. Sindhis are known to reside almost everywhere across the globe so when we make an Indonesian salad it’s come from family. I use this as a great method to get your fix of veggies in a fun way.

The sauce is the strength behind this recipe. There are many varied versions of it and I will share today what works for me.

Ingredients : ( Serves 2-3) Measurements are approximate

Roasted peanuts – 1 cup (reserve a small handful to top the sauce)

Chopped Onion – 1

Green chili chopped – 1 ( If you like it spicy do increase !)

Soy sauce, Salt & black pepper

Veeba  crunchy peanut butter

Method

In a pan sauté onions and green chilly. Add the peanuts and cook till the peanuts are quite brown. Add salt and pepper. Cool. Puree with about ½ cup drinking water in a mixie. To this puree add 2-3 tablespoons of Veeba’s crunchy peanut butter. A dash of soy sauce – check the seasoning and add a handful of crushed peanuts. The sauce should be salty, slightly sweet and a little spicy.

To serve – Prep your vegetables: I used

  • Parboiled potato
  • Chopped blanched spinach
  • Flash boiled beans ( I used lobia beans/ cowpea)
  • Shredded raw Cabbage
  • Parboiled carrots
  • Boiled Egg

The possibilities are endless here- you can add peppers, cucumber, tofu slightly sautéed, chicken that has been lightly sautéed in oil.

To serve let each person fill a bowl with whichever veggies. Ladle the peanut sauce. Squeeze lemon over it. Crush some chips for crunch and enjoy!

Traditionally instead of chips prawn crackers are used. However, chips work just as well.

A small note about Veeba’s crunchy peanut butter. This lends itself wonderfully to just a slice of toast as it’s not too sweet. It has a good amount of peanuts in it for crunch. I would also recommend using it as a topping for chocolate pancakes.