Jakarta Vegetable Salad with Peanut Sauce (Ketoprak)
Ketoprak Say it: keh-TOH-prahk
Ketoprak is a Betawi street-food salad from Jakarta, sold from morning markets to late-night stalls. A mound of sliced lontong, golden tofu, blanched bean sprouts, rice vermicelli and cucumber is dressed at the last minute with a thick peanut sauce, then finished with sweet soy sauce, fried shallots and crisp crackers. The contrast is the point: cool, crisp vegetables against warm rice cakes and nutty, gently spicy sauce. It is filling but fresh, sweet, savoury and tangy all at once.
Jakarta Vegetable Salad with Peanut Sauce (Ketoprak)
Ketoprak
Pronounced keh-TOH-prahk
- Serves
- 4
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Total
- 1 hr
- Level
- Medium
Also egg-free.
Allergens: contains peanuts, soy, gluten. Check labels on packaged ingredients.
Ingredients
Amounts are scaled. Cooking times and pan sizes stay the same.
Peanut sauce
Salad
To serve
Method
Cook the rice vermicelli according to the package directions, then drain, rinse under cold water and set aside. Blanch the bean sprouts in boiling water for 30 seconds, drain immediately and cool under cold running water.
Heat the oil in a wok or deep skillet over medium heat. Fry the peanuts until golden and fragrant, 4–6 minutes, then drain on paper towels.
In the same oil, fry the tofu cubes in batches until golden and crisp at the edges, 5–7 minutes. Drain on paper towels.
For the sauce, grind the fried peanuts, garlic, chilies, palm sugar, salt, vinegar and kecap manis in a food processor or pound in a mortar. Add the water gradually until you have a thick but pourable sauce.
Warm the sauce gently in a small saucepan over low heat for 3–5 minutes, stirring, until glossy and thick enough to coat a spoon. Add a splash more water if it tightens too much.
Divide the lontong, vermicelli, bean sprouts, cucumber and fried tofu among four plates.
Spoon the peanut sauce generously over the top, drizzle with kecap manis and scatter with fried shallots. Tuck the rice crackers alongside and serve immediately.
Regional variants
Some stalls use ketupat instead of lontong or add a hard-boiled egg; for a vegan version, keep the egg out. A shortcut sauce made with natural peanut butter is smoother than the traditional pounded peanut texture.
Cook's notes
- Fry the peanuts just before grinding for the nuttiest flavor; let them cool slightly so they grind evenly.
- If the peanut sauce thickens while standing, loosen it with warm water rather than more oil.
- Keep the bean sprouts crisp by blanching them briefly and cooling them at once.
Serve with
Serve with iced sweet tea (es teh manis) or hot tea.
Make ahead and storage
The peanut sauce can be refrigerated for up to 3 days; blanch the vegetables and fry the tofu up to 1 day ahead, then assemble just before serving.
