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Gado Gado (Mixed Vegetable Salad With Indonesian Peanut Sauce)

By Patricia Tanumihardja

4.5

(2)

Photo of Gado Gado on a plate with peanut sauce fried pork skins and plates on the side.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich

This delicious salad can be eaten as a first course or a main meal. Most of the prep work involves cutting and blanching the vegetables, but it goes by quickly. Prawn crackers are the traditional accompaniment, but store-bought vegetable chips make a great vegan substitute. If you're short on time, you can turn this into a fresh salad using lettuce, spinach, cucumbers and/or carrots.

Recipe information

  • Total Time

    50 minutes

  • Yield

    4–6 servings

Ingredients

8 oz (225 g) yellow potatoes
3 cups (300 g) shredded green cabbage
3 cups (90 g) baby spinach
2 cups (200 g) bean sprouts
5 oz (300 g) green beans, cut into 2-in (5-cm) lengths
1 small seedless cucumber cut into half-moons
2 large hard-boiled eggs, sliced into wedges
8 oz (225 g) tempeh, store-bought tofu puffs, or baked tofu, cut into 2-in cubes
1 cup (250 ml) Saus Kacang (Indonesian Peanut Sauce)
Vegetable chips or straws, for garnish
Fried shallots, for garnish

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water for 20 to 25 minutes, until fork-tender. Peel and cut into 2-inch (5-cm) cubes.

    Step 2

    Prepare a bowl or tub of ice water. Blanch the cabbage for 1 to 2 minutes, until translucent and wilted, and transfer to the ice bath. When cool, drain on kitchen towels. Set aside. Repeat with the spinach (30 seconds to 1 minute), bean sprouts (30 seconds to 1 minute) and green beans (3 to 4 minutes).

    Step 3

    Arrange the vegetables, eggs and tofu or tempeh on a large platter. Serve with a bowl of Indonesian Peanut Sauce, with the vegetable chips and fried shallots on small plates alongside. Each diner should pick and choose an assortment of ingredients to put on their plate. Drizzle 2 to 3 tablespoons of peanut sauce over the vegetables and top with vegetable chips and fried shallots. Stir everything together and enjoy!

Image may contain: Food, Dish, Meal, Noodle, and Pasta
Reprinted with permission from Farm to Table Asian Secrets: Vegan & Vegetarian Full-Flavored Recipes for Every Season © 2017 by by Patricia Tanumihardja. Published by Tuttle Publishing. Buy the full book on Amazon.
TagsSaladIndonesianSoutheast AsianAsianYukon Gold PotatoPotatoRoot VegetableVegetableSproutPeanutNutTempehTofuStarterMainDinnerDairy FreeGluten FreeVegetarianRamadanCookbooks

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