In the raw with Indonesian salads

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesians love their vegetables, both raw and cooked. Their variety of dressings spice up even the most familiar of greens.

Urap

A traditional salad of boiled vegetables tossed in grated coconut and spices. * 100 g bean sprouts, roots removed * 100 g young jackfruit * 100 g kangkung (water spinach) * 7 kecipir (asparagus beans) * 1 labu siam (chayote) * 5 long beans

Dressing * 4 red chilis, roasted * 2 teaspoons salt * some terasi (a condiment made from fermented

shrimp paste), roasted * 40 g palm sugar * 1 1/2 cm kencur (greater galingale) * 1 teaspoon tamarind * 1 small clove of garlic * 1/2 a coconut (the grated flesh)

1. Clean the vegetables and cut into small pieces. Blanch the bean sprouts in boiling water for a moment; remove and drain. 2. Boil jackfruit until soft. Remove from heat. 3. Add a teaspoon of salt to boiling water, add the spinach and cover pan with lid. Boil for three minutes. 4. Remove the spinach and drain. Boil more water, add the kecipir beans and cover firmly. Remove when cooked. Repeat same process for the chayote and long beans. 5. Set the vegetables aside. 6. For the dressing, grind spices finely, mix with grated coconut and fry without oil until fragrant. 7. Mix the vegetables and dressing until evenly covered.

Raw Gado-gado

A variation on the traditional dish of boiled vegetables in peanut sauce. * 100 gramsbokor lettuce, coarsely chopped * 100 grams white cabbage, finely chopped * 1 raw cucumber, quartered and finely chopped * 1 green apple, quartered and finely chopped * 1 boiled egg * 1 slab of tofu, fried until half cooked * 1 boiled potato * 50 grams potato chips or emping crackers

Dressing * 1 clove of garlic, bruised * 1.5 teaspoons red chilis, finely ground * 2 tablespoons oil for sauteing * 400 cc coconut milk * 2 teaspoons salt * 4 tablespoons white sugar * 150 grams peanut butter * 2 teaspoons vinegar

1. For the dressing, saute the garlic and red chili on a high flame until fragrant, then add coconut milk, salt and sugar. Bring coconut milk to the boil, remove from heat and add the peanut butter and vinegar. Stir evenly and refrigerate. 2. Arrange the slices of lettuce on a large plate, adding in sequence the cabbage, cucumber and apple. Put the tofu and potatoes on top and cover it in the dressing. 3. Garnish with slices of egg and chips.

* Do not slice the apple until a few minutes before serving or else the fruit will darken. Alternately, dab the fruit with lime juice to retain its color, but clean with boiling water before serving.