A must-try Glorious Gado-Gado Salad

Gado-gado is an Indonesian salad of slightly boiled, blanched or steamed vegetables and hard-boiled eggs, boiled potato, fried tofu or tempeh, , served with a tasty peanut sauce dressing.

Actually Gado-Gado means “Mix-Mix” in Indonesian. So basically, you can use any mixed raw or blanched vegetables to make this appetizing and healthy vegetarian dish.

Now, the idea of blanched vegetables may not seem very appealing to you, but the Indonesians have ingeniously made a tantalizing peanut sauce to serve with this dish, making it really delicious and satisfying.

The traditional way to make the peanut sauce is quite time-consuming, so here’s a shortcut version, inspired by the Indonesian Gado-Gado sauce.

For my version of Gado-Gado salad, I have used vegetables available from the fridge or backyard, so feel free to make any substitutions.

According to the traditional Indonesian recipe, this dish is served with deep fried Shrimp crackers. As a vegetarian meal, I serve this dish with plain steamed rice.

Ingredients (for 4 servings)

• 1 bunch of green vegetable (water spinach or kale)
• 2 cups of bean sprouts
• 2 cups of potatoes (I like to use sweet potatoes or purple yam)
• 2 cups of sliced cucumber
• 3 boiled eggs, cut into quarters
• 2 cups of shredded carrots
• 2 cups of sliced firm tofu (or tempeh as per the authentic recipe). I have used seasoned baked tofu available from most Asian stores, in the refrigerated area.
• 2 cups of cabbage (I use red cabbage), sliced
• 1 green apple for tartness (I use guava), cubed

Peanut sauce (shortcut)

• 2 tbsp red curry paste (if you don’t like too spicy, you can reduce qty)
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1 tbsp Kecap Manis (or thick sweet soy sauce)
• 1 to 2 tsp Sambal Oelak or chili garlic sauce like Sriracha
• 1/4 cup minced shallots
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tsp oil
• Salt, sugar to taste

Garnish

• Crushed roasted peanuts
• Fresh or dried red chilis
• Coriander
• Steamed rice

Instructions

• In a sauce pan over medium heat, heat a little oil, lightly sauté the shallots, garlic and red curry paste till fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the peanut butter, Kecap Manis, chili sauce and stir well. Add 1/4 cup water and bring to simmer. Then add the coconut milk to heat through but not to boiling point. It should have the consistency of a thick salad dressing. If too thick, add a little more water and stir well. Taste and adjust seasoning by adding some salt and/or sugar. Remove from heat.
• Boil some water in a pot, and quickly blanch the green vegetable and cabbage. I also blanch the bean sprouts for 5 seconds (or you could leave them raw if preferred).
• To quickly cook the sweet potatoes: wash them and poke a few holes all over the skin. Put in microwave-safe container and heat in microwave on high for 5 minutes per potato, and add 2 minutes per extra potato. I used 2 medium purple yams, so the cooking time is 7 minutes by microwave. Let cool and peel, and cut into cubes.
• For the tofu, you could use any firm tofu. I use pressed tofu (see picture) which is available from any Asian stores. The tofu can be sliced or cubed and served at room temperature.
• To assemble, display the vegetables in a large platter, with the fresh cucumbers, julienne carrots.
• When ready to serve, pour the peanut sauce on the vegetables and sprinkle some crushed roasted peanuts, chili and coriander on top.
• Serve with steamed rice

The Gado-Gado salad can be a full meal in itself and is fun to make and to enjoy!

For more vegetarian dishes, please check my Laotian larb recipe.

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