64 views | Share
Gado-gado is a traditional dish in Indonesian cuisine, and is a vegetable salad served with a peanut saucedressing, eaten as a main dish. It is widely served from hawkers carts, stalls (warung) as well as in restaurants both in Indonesia and worldwide.
We can easily find Gado-gado in many places in Indonesia, from Warung Kaki Lima in public market to five star hotel. The taste with fresh vegetables combine with the peanuts sauce are the main sensation of the food.
Gado-gado is part of a wide range of Indonesian dressing & salad combinations, along with with lotek, pecel and karedok. In many places, to retain authenticity in both the production and flavor, the peanut sauce is made in individual batches, in front of the customers. However, since the dish has gained popularity (because of the increase of Asian-themed restaurants) Gado-gado sauce is now mostly made ahead of time and cooked in bulk, although this is probably more common in Western restaurants rather than in Indonesia. Compared to Western and Indonesian salads, Gado-gado has much more sauce in it. Instead of being used as a light dressing, the vegetables should be well coated in the sauce.
Here are the original recipes of Gado-gado
- blanched – shredded, chopped, or sliced green vegetables (such as cabbage, kang-kung), bean sprouts, young boiled jack fruit, string bean,bitter melon, and corn (outside of Indonesia, people improvize with whatever vegetables that are available). uncooked – sliced cucumber and lettuce.
- fried tofu and tempeh.
- sliced boiled potatoes.
- peeled and sliced boiled eggs.
- ground fried peanuts (kidney beans may be substituted for a richer taste)
- coconut sugar/palm sugar (can substitute brown sugar)
- chillies (according to taste)
- limo lime juice
- terasi (dried shrimp paste)
- tamarind water
- water to dilute
Or Gado-gado served with others variations
~6 salad course servings
- scant 1 cup diced onion
- 1/2 cup super chunky peanut butter
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon lime juice*
- 2 teaspoons sa cha sauce
- 2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar
- 1 red chili, seeded, cut in a few pieces*
- 2 cloves garlic
