Ingredients

1 cup chunky peanut butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 to 5 chiles, minced
2-inch piece fresh ginger root, grated
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 Kaffir lime leaves, fresh or dried (see note)
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
3 cups yard-long beans, cut in 2-inch lengths
3 medium carrots, julienned
3 cups fresh spinach, loosely packed
3 cups chopped Chinese cabbage
2 cups fresh bean sprouts
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
5 ounces firm tofu
1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
4 hard-boiled eggs

Directions

For the sauce, combine peanut butter, garlic, chiles, ginger, soy sauce, sugar, salt, lime leaves and 2 1/2 cups water in a pot. Bring mixture to a boil and simmer, stirring often, for 30 minutes. Cool, stir in fresh lime juice and reserve.

Meanwhile, bring 2 quarts of salted water to a rolling boil in large pot. Add the long beans and carrots and cook for 2 minutes. Remove them from the cooking water with a slotted spoon, rinse with cold water and set them aside. Bring the water to a boil again and blanch the spinach, Chinese cabbage and bean sprouts for 30 seconds. Drain and set aside.

Heat oil in a frying pan and fry the tofu on all sides until golden brown. Remove and drain on a paper towel and set aside. Add the sliced onions to the same pan and fry over medium heat until golden. Drain them on a paper towel and reserve. Quarter the hard-boiled eggs. Slice the tofu 1/4 inch thick.

In a serving bowl, toss the vegetables with the peanut sauce. Garnish with the sliced tofu, the quartered eggs and fried onions. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Note: For each double kaffir lime leaf you may substitute 1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest or 2 teaspoons chopped fresh lemon verbena. They can be grown outside where there is no frost or in containers to bring indoors in winter. Harvest leaves when they are 3 inches long. Fresh leaves may be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and frozen for future use.