We’ve previously shared a recipe for Gado Gado — a quick, simple, and flavorful Indonesian-inspired dish perfect for weeknight cooking. We love that recipe so much we wanted to share a slightly different, but equally simple and delicious variation.
This version uses sweet potato instead of carrots, swaps the red cabbage for extra green beans, and includes an optional egg. Oh, and we kicked things up a notch with a spicy version of the peanut sauce. Let’s do this!
Origin of Gado Gado
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.
Our inspired version uses a similar concept of rice, vegetables, protein, and a nutty sauce. You can find a more authentic preparation of gado gado here.
How to Make This Gado Gado Recipe
The base of this 30-minute recipe is brown rice. It’s quick and easy to make, plus rich in vitamins and minerals such as selenium, magnesium, and vitamin B3.
To make this bowl extra filling and delicious, we also roasted sweet potato rounds until perfectly tender and sweet.
For a pop of green and a bit of crunch, we steamed green beans until just tender, then added them to ice water to stop the cooking and keep them fresh and vibrant.
Not only are green beans delicious, they’re also loaded with vitamins and minerals including vitamins K, C, folate, B2, chromium, calcium, and so many more!
Next comes the peanut sauce! Simply whisk peanut butter, tamari, lime juice, maple syrup, and chili garlic sauce in a mixing bowl. Add water to thin and you’ve got a magical, versatile sauce!
The rice and veggies are divided between serving bowls, topped with cilantro and peanuts, and everything is drizzled with spicy peanut sauce.
We hope you LOVE this dish. It’s:
Flavorful
Quick & simple
Versatile
Perfectly spicy
Colorful
Healthy
& So tasty!
This recipe is perfect for quick weeknight dinners and make-ahead lunches but is also impressive enough to serve to company as it’s customizable and everyone can choose their own unique toppings.
More Recipes with Peanut Sauce
If you’re into peanut sauce, be sure to check out our Rainbow Spring Rolls with Ginger Peanut Sauce,Baked Crispy Peanut Tofu, and Thai Sweet Potato Stacks with Peanut Sauce.
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo#minimalistbakeron Instagram! We’d love to see what you come up with. Cheers, friends!
Gado Gado with Spicy Peanut Sauce
An Indonesian-inspired bowl made with brown rice, vegetables, and spicy peanut sauce. Incredibly customizable and perfect for a simple, basic yet hearty meal. Just 30 minutes required!
Author Minimalist Baker
Prep Time 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes minutes
Total Time 30 minutes minutes
Servings 3 (Servings)
Course Entrée
Cuisine Gluten-Free, Indonesian-Inspired
Freezer Friendly No
Does it keep? 2 Days
Ingredients
US Customary – Metric
RICE
- 1 cup short grain brown rice, rinsed
- 1 ¾ cup water
- 1 pinch sea salt (optional)
VEGETABLES
- 1 large (~200 g) sweet potato, rinsed and chopped into 1/4-inch slices
- 1 Tbsp avocado oil
- 8 ounces green beans, stems removed (8 ounces equals ~40 beans)
- 1/2 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 3/4 cup bean sprouts (or use more bell pepper)
PEANUT SAUCE
- 1/4 cup natural salted peanut butter
- 1 Tbsp tamari (or soy sauce if not gluten free)
- 1-2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1-2 Tbsp maple syrup
- 2-3 tsp chili garlic sauce (more or less depending on preferred level of spice)
- 1-4 Tbsp hot water
FOR SERVING
- Fresh chopped cilantro
- 2-3 Tbsp roasted salted peanuts (optional)
- Hard-boiled egg* (optional)
Instructions
In a large saucepan, bring water and brown rice to a boil, then add a pinch of salt, swirl to combine, cover, and reduce heat to simmer. Cook for 20-30 minutes until water is absorbed and rice is tender and fully cooked. Drain off any excess liquid at the end if there is any. Set rice aside and cover to keep warm.
In the meantime, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (204 C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add sliced sweet potato and drizzle with avocado oil. Bake for 20-25 minutes. When ready, rounds should be tender and slightly golden brown. Set aside.
While potato rounds and rice are cooking, steam your green beans in a steamer basket or in the microwave for 3-4 minutes. Alternatively, add to boiling hot water for 1 minute, then transfer to ice water to stop the cooking process (a.k.a. “shocking”). Drain and set aside.
Prepare the peanut sauce by adding all ingredients except water to a small mixing bowl and whisking. Add hot water 1 tablespoon (15 ml) at a time until desired consistency is reached— it should be pourable.
Taste and adjust seasonings as needed, adding more chili garlic sauce for heat, maple syrup for sweetness, or lime juice for acidity.
To assemble, divide brown rice between 3 dishes and top with roasted sweet potato, steamed green beans, sliced red pepper, bean sprouts, cilantro, and a hard-boiled egg (optional). Serve with spicy peanut sauce and salted roasted peanuts (optional). For extra heat, sriracha or extra chili garlic sauce make great additions.
Best when fresh. Store any leftovers separate from dressing in the refrigerator up to 2 days.
Video
Notes
*We followed this hard-boiled egg recipe from Ina Garten.
*To keep this dish vegan, omit the egg and double up on veggies, or serve with our Crispy Baked Peanut Tofu!
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated without optional ingredients and with the lesser amounts of lime juice, maple syrup, and chili garlic sauce.
Nutrition (1 of 3 servings)
Serving: 1 Servings Calories: 496 Carbohydrates: 75 g Protein: 13.7 g Fat: 17.4 g Saturated Fat: 2.6 g Sodium: 495 mg Potassium: 755 mg Fiber: 8.6 g Sugar: 11.6 g
