Gado-Gado Salad: A Taste of Indonesia
Indonesian Gado-Gado Salad featuring fermented tempeh and blanched vegetables, dressed in a rich peanut sauce.
This Gado-Gado salad is a personal favorite from my travels in Bali, Indonesia. I used to find Balinese cuisine a bit challenging to adapt to during my past trips, but Gado-Gado was an absolute delight! While I enjoy a wide variety of foods now, back then, the rich, savory, and sweet flavor of the peanut sauce truly captivated my palate. It’s a delicious and surprisingly simple dish to prepare, making it perfect for any occasion.
Main Ingredients
- 3 long beans (string beans)
- 1/3 carrot
- 1/2 cauliflower (small)
- 1 hard-boiled egg
- 50g tempeh
- 50g firm tofu
Peanut Sauce
- 100g roasted peanuts (shelled)
- 2 shallots (or 1/4 small onion)
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1/2 chili pepper (adjust to taste)
- 1 tsp mild chili powder
- A pinch of salt
- 1 Tbsp sugar or corn syrup
- 100g roasted peanuts (shelled)
- 2 shallots (or 1/4 small onion)
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1/2 chili pepper (adjust to taste)
- 1 tsp mild chili powder
- A pinch of salt
- 1 Tbsp sugar or corn syrup
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
Let’s start by making the delicious peanut sauce. First, finely grind the roasted, shelled peanuts. In a pan, heat a generous amount of oil over medium-low heat. Sauté the minced shallots (or onion) and garlic until fragrant and softened. Add the ground peanuts and stir continuously to toast them without burning. Next, incorporate the finely chopped chili pepper and mild chili powder, stirring them in. Gradually add water while stirring to achieve a smooth, pourable sauce consistency. Season with salt and sugar (or corn syrup) to balance the flavors. Once you have a sweet and mildly spicy, smooth peanut sauce, it’s ready!
Step 2
Now, let’s prepare the vegetables for the salad. Cut the long beans into bite-sized pieces. Slice the carrot thinly. Break the cauliflower into small florets. Blanch all these prepared vegetables in boiling water for a short time until tender-crisp. Immediately transfer them to cold water to stop the cooking process and preserve their vibrant color and crisp texture.
Step 3
Peel and slice the hard-boiled egg into wedges. Cut the tempeh and tofu into strips. Deep-fry them in hot oil until golden brown and crispy for an extra layer of texture. Arrange the blanched vegetables, sliced hard-boiled egg, and crispy fried tempeh and tofu attractively on a serving plate. Generously drizzle the homemade peanut sauce over everything. Your delightful Gado-Gado salad is now ready to be enjoyed! It’s delicious served warm or chilled.
