Indonesia · Salads · Vegetarian
Gado-Gado
A warm Indonesian salad of blanched and fresh vegetables, potato, and egg, drizzled with a rich spiced peanut sauce. Indonesia's national dish — gado-gado means 'mix-mix', and you can use whatever vegetables you have on hand.
30 min 230 kcal 2 serves Advanced🌿Vegetarian🇮🇩Indonesia★★★★★5.0· 5 reviews
Ingredients
ServingsMetric
- 100 gboiled potato
- 100 ggreen beans, blanched
- 100 gcabbage, blanched
- 1 carrot, thinly sliced or blanched
- 100 gbean sprouts
- ½ fresh cucumber, sliced into half-rounds
- 4 lettuce leaves
- 1 egg, boiled
- 2 tbsproasted peanuts for serving
- 3 tbsproasted peanuts
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 tsppalm sugar
- 1 tspred chili
- 1 tsptamarind
- 2 tbspwater
- 1 tspsoy sauce
- ½ tspsesame oil
Method
- Boil the potato until tender when pierced with a knife, about 15 minutes depending on size. In a separate pot of salted boiling water, blanch the cabbage, carrot slices, and green beans for 1-2 minutes — just enough to take the raw edge off while keeping them vibrant and slightly crunchy. Drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking.
- Make the peanut sauce: in a mortar (or blender), pound the roasted peanuts, garlic, chili, and palm sugar into a rough paste. You want some texture, not baby food. Add the soy sauce, tamarind paste (or lime juice), sesame oil, and water. Stir until you have a thick, glossy sauce. Taste it — it should hit sweet, salty, sour, and spicy all at once. Adjust with more sugar, lime, or chili as needed.
- Slice the boiled potato into rounds about 5 mm thick. Cut the cucumber into half-rounds. If using a boiled egg, peel it and cut in half lengthwise. Keep the lettuce leaves and bean sprouts raw and crisp.
- Line a plate or shallow bowl with the lettuce leaves. Arrange the vegetables in neat clusters — potato rounds, green beans, cabbage, carrot, cucumber, and bean sprouts — so each ingredient is visible and the plate looks abundant.
- Drizzle the warm peanut sauce generously over the vegetables. Top with the egg halves, scatter roasted peanuts on top for crunch, and serve immediately while the sauce is still slightly warm.
FAQ
Gado-gado means 'mix-mix' — use whatever you have. Potato, carrot, cabbage, and green beans are the base. Bean sprouts can be replaced with cucumber, and tofu with a boiled egg or chicken breast.
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Comments (1)
I make the dressing for gado-gado first and let it sit while I prep everything else. The boiled potato and seasonings need at least 10 minutes to meld. Last-second dressing always tastes a bit harsh and disjointed.