Ketoprak – Vegan Tofu Salad

This is a vegan tofu salad from Beb Vuyk’s Groot Indonesisch Kookboek. The base is fried tofu and the sauce is made from peanut butter. This Indonesian salad, with the crispy vegetables, is very tasty and slightly spicy.

---

Ketoprak # 354 translated from Beb Vuyk’s Groot Indonesisch Kookboek, page 293.

• 1 block tofu (+/- 300 gram)
• 100 grams of bean sprouts
• 100 grams of finely chopped cabbage (white, savoy or green cabbage)
• 1 tablespoon peanut butter
• oil
• vinegar

Herbs

• 5 tablespoons chopped onions
• 2 chopped garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon of sambal oelek
• 1 teaspoon of Javanese sugar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• salt
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped celery
• 1/2 tablespoon finely chopped chives

1. Wash and Pour boiling water over the bean sprouts and let them drain.
2. Cut the tofu in dice and fry them in the oil until they are golden brown.
3. Sauté half of the onions in the remaining oil.
4. Grind the rest of the onions with the garlic, the sambal and sugar into a paste, mix in the peanut butter and sauté this in the oil.
5. Mix the paste with the soy sauce and some vinegar to turn it into a sauce and mix in the tofu, the bean sprouts, the cabbage and the celery.
6. Serve the dish with the fried onions and chopped chives on top.
   

---

I choose pointed cabbage because I really like it. It is tender and somewhat sweet in flavor.

My sambal ulek is finished, so I use half a chili pepper in my bumbu (herb paste).

I start by cutting my tofu into cubes. I sprinkle them with half a teaspoon of salt.

I love crispy fried tofu and therefore fry them for a long time (20 minutes) in a thin layer of oil. I place an anti-splash lid on the pan. It’s needed.

I cut the cabbage into fine strips and pour boiling water over the bean sprouts.

In the meantime, I also make the bumbu. I place onions, garlic, sambal, and sugar in a jug and use a hand blender to grind it. I also add half a teaspoon of salt.

To let the emersion blender work smoothly, I add the peanut butter half way. This mix can now be sauteed in the pan. Wonderful scent wuffs up immediately.

A real sauce must be made out of this peanut butter mix, so I add two tablespoons of sweet soy sauce (kecap manis) and two tablespoons of vinegar. The original recipe does not explain how much vinegar goes in. Always taste by the way. Maybe your sauce needs more acidity.

There must be a balance in sweet, salty and sour; just like in any salad dressing. By the way, when I make my sauce I work on low heat, otherwise, the soy sauce will burn.

The fried tofu can now be added to the sauce. I turn off the gas now.

If the bean curd has been mixed well with the sauce, the cabbage, bean sprouts and celery can be added. I also add some chives. The rest of the chives are for garnish.

I quickly sauté the rest of the onions in the tofu pan. This will be the finishing touch because the onions go over my ketoprak before serving.

I deem this salad to be really delicious. Tofu and peanuts are a great combination and the spiciness is perfect. The bean sprouts and raw cabbage are crispy and the sauce smoothly sticks everything together.

This ketoprak is a basic recipe. On Indonesian blogs, I see really great varieties with krupuk and noodles. You can turn this salad into a complete dinner. I will definitely give that a try again soon.