Gado gado is one of the well known dishes from Indonesia. Although it looks like a salad dish, gado gado is also eaten as a one dish meal in Indonesia. Loaded with a variety of vegetable, the carbohydrate in the dish comes from lontong (compressed rice cake) and potatoes. Tofu, egg and tempeh are the protein sources.
Whenever I see gado gado served at a hotel buffet here, my plate will be piled high with veggies drenched in the sauce.The creamy, sweet, sour and spicy peanut sauce is what makes this a great salad. It may look intimidating with the amount of ingredients, but the recipe is pretty flexible with the options of salad ingredients that you like. In mine are potato, beansprout, firm tofu, tempeh, long beans and egg.
Gado gado sauce is not to be confused withsataysauce, which is also a peanut sauce.The traditional method of making the sauce is to use thepestle and mortar. The dry ingredients are ground first, then water is added to achieve the desired consistency. Pounding the dry ingredients with the pestle and mortar method will give a more fragrant sauce, however I prefer the faster method of using the food processor.I made extra sauce to keep in the fridge,so this dish can easily be prepared with practically any fresh vegetables anytime.
I am submitting this post toAsian Food Fest: Indonesia, hosted by Alice fromI Love. I Cook. I Bake.
Gado Gado (Indonesian Salad with Peanut Sauce)
Cuisine: Indonesian
Serves: 2
Ingredients
Gado Gado Sauce
- 100g Peanut - roasted
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 25g Palm Sugar (Gula Melaka)
- 2-5 Bird's Eye Chili (Cili Padi) - seeded (use more if you prefer the heat)
- ½ teaspoon [u]Shrimp Paste[/u] (Belacan/ Terasi) - omit if making vegetarian sauce
- ½ teaspoon Tamarind Pulp (Asam Jawa) - soaked in 1 tablespoon of warm water to get the juice
- juice of ½ Lime
- ½ tablespoon Light Soy Sauce (Coconut Aminos or Tamari for gluten free option)
- 1 cup hot water
- Salt to taste
Gado Gado Ingredients
- 2 Potatoes - cut into quarters & boiled
- 2 Eggs - boiled and cut into quarters
- Bean Sprouts - blanched
- Long Beans - cut into 2 inch long, blanched
- Firm Tofu - pan fried/baked & cut into cubes
- Tempeh - cut into slices & pan fried/baked
Optional Salad Ingredients
- French beans - cut into 2 inch long, blanched
- Spinach - blanched & roughly chopped
- Cabbage - blanched and thinly sliced
- Cucumber - cut into cubes
- Chayote (Indonesian: labu siam) - boiled
- Melinjo Crackers (Emping)
Instructions
Sauce
- Roast peanuts in oven at 170C for 5mins.
- Place peanut, garlic, palm sugar, chilies, and shrimp paste in a food processor. Grind until everything is well mixed. Remove into a mixing bowl.
- Add tamarind juice, lime juice, sweet soy sauce and half cup of water. Stir well and add more water to get to the consistency of peanut sauce that you like.
Salad
- Rub 1 teaspoon vegetable oil onto firm tofu and sliced tempeh and place into oven to bake for 15 mins. Alternatively, place onto the oiled tofu and tempeh onto pan to fry for 1 min on each side on medium heat.
- Meanwhile, bring 2 small pot with water to boil to cook eggs and potatoes. After 1 min, switch off the fire of the pot with eggs and let it sit for 12 mins. Remove shell and cut egg into quarters. Cook the potatoes until soft when pricked with a fork.
- Blanched the rest of the vegetables in boiling water and remove with slotted spoon. Beansprout (30 sec), long beans (2-3mins)
- To serve, place a portion of each salad ingredient onto a serving plate/bowl. Serve the peanut sauce and mix well. It can be eaten warm or cold.
FAQs
Gado Gado Sauce:
1/3 cup natural peanut butter, smooth or crunchy (your choice) (Note 1) 4 tsp red curry paste , store bought (Maesri brand best, Note 2) 3 tsp Kecap Manis (Indonesian sweet soy sauce, Note 3) 1 tsp sambal oelak or other chilli paste (adjust spiciness to taste)
What is gado gado in Indonesian? ›
Gado-gado is an Indonesian version of a mixed salad. It usually consists of a variety of vegetables, eggs, tempeh, and tofu. The vegetables are usually just slightly boiled, tossed with a nut completed with the addition of crispy prawn crackers.
Is gado gado healthy? ›
The word gado gado means 'eaten without rice' which implies it is a complete meal. It is no wonder as this dish is one of the most complete nutritionally providing a good balance of protein, fats and carbohydrate with plenty of fibre. It is a very filling salad, perfect for work lunches and better as a main meal.
Is gado gado sauce the same as satay sauce? ›
Gado-gado sauce is also available in dried form, which is simply rehydrated by adding hot water. Gado-gado sauce is not to be confused with satay sauce, which is also a peanut sauce.
What does gado-gado taste like? ›
Gado Gado Peanut Sauce. The dipping sauce for this dish is much more complex than other peanut sauces, and it's really the star of the show. It has moderate heat from the chili sauce and curry paste, sweetness from the kecap manis, which is a sweet soy sauce, and creaminess from the coconut milk.
What do you eat with peanut sauce? ›
Here are some ways you can use this creamy sauce that go beyond your standard noodle dishes or salads.
- Dip your veggies. ...
- Dress up some tacos or lettuce wraps. ...
- Toss with chicken wings or “cauliflower wings” ...
- Craft a unique and flavorful chicken burger. ...
- Use as a base for soup or stew.
(ˈɡɑːdəʊˈɡɑːdəʊ ) noun. an Indonesian dish of cooked mixed vegetables and hard-boiled eggs served with a peanut sauce. Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers.
How many carbs are in Gado Gado? ›
Munchery Gado Gado (1 serving) contains 45g total carbs, 36g net carbs, 27g fat, 23g protein, and 500 calories.
Is Litti Chokha unhealthy? ›
Litti chokha can be a fat loss food, as it is filling and has less calories. Litti chokha is usually baked, and thus has low refined oil, which makes it healthy for the heart. Litti Chokha is also rich in nutrients, vitamins and magnesium and aids metabolism.
Is peanut sauce Thai or Indonesian? ›
Although commonly associated with Thai cuisine, peanut sauce actually originated in Indonesia (source). What Americans know as peanut sauce is more commonly referred to as satay sauce (or bumbu kacang) in Indonesia, because it's most often served with the popular Indonesian dish, satay (skewered, grilled meats).
First up, semantics. Sate doesn't actually mean spicy peanut sauce, though we tend to misappropriate the term here, and other dishes have been invented that use this accompanying sauce. Sate refers instead to the skewers of meat, and many variations of it come with a different sauce, and some without any sauce at all.
What does satay mean in Indonesian? ›
Satay (/ˈsɑːteɪ/ SAH-tay, in USA also /sɑːˈteɪ/ sah-TAY, /sæˈteɪ/ sa-TAY), or sate in Indonesian spelling, is a Indonesian form of kebab made from seasoned, skewered and barbecued meat, served with a sauce.
What is the name of Indonesian soy sauce? ›
Sweet soy sauce (Indonesian: kecap manis) is a sweetened aromatic soy sauce, originating in Indonesia, which has a darker color, a viscous syrupy consistency, and a molasses-like flavor due to the generous addition of palm sugar or jaggery. Kecap manis is widely used with satay.
Where does gado-gado originate? ›
Gado gado is a salad that's believed to have originated in Jakarta, Indonesia in the 16th century. It's typically made with vegetables, protein (such as egg, tempeh, and/or tofu), a nutty sauce, and sometimes rice or rice crackers.
What is the name of the condiment unique to Indonesia and other parts of Southeast Asia? ›
Serundeng is a traditional Indonesian condiment that's typically associated with Java. It's made with a combination of roasted ground coconut and various spices and seasonings such as garlic, onions, turmeric, tamarind, lime leaves, chili peppers, coriander, galangal, Asian bay leaves, and sugar.
How many calories are in gado-gado? ›
There are 318 calories in 1 cup of Gado Gado.
