Gado-gado salad with peanut sauce (Gado-gado)
There are many dishes served with peanut sauce in Indonesia, but none is more famous than gado-gado, which translates from Indonesian as ‘mix-mix’. It also comes from the word menggado, which is to eat something without rice, a rarity on these islands. You can substitute the vegetables with whatever you have to hand – the key is a good peanut sauce and plenty of kerupuk or prawn crackers. You can eat this dish on its own, but it also makes a great side dish as part of a larger feast. The peanut sauce lasts for up to five days, but once tossed together, gado-gado is best eaten on the same day.
SERVES 2 as a main or 4 as a side PREP 30 mins COOK 30 mins
MORE EFFORT V 60g fried, firm or smoked tofu, cut
into bite-sized chunks
150g baby new potatoes, halved 100g long-stem broccoli
100g green beans, trimmed coconut or sunflower oil, for frying 60g tempeh, sliced into 1 x 3cm
chunks (or replace with more tofu) kecap manis, for grilling (optional) 1 carrot, peeled and cut
into matchsticks
75g ready-to-eat beansprouts
1/2 cucumber, sliced into thin rounds 16 cherry tomatoes, halved
4 eggs, hard-boiled for 10 mins
and halved
2 tbsp crispy fried shallots (optional) kerupuk (Indonesian crackers) or
prawn crackers, to serve (optional)
For the peanut sauce
sunflower oil, for frying
2 red chillies, deseeded
and finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
75g unsweetened, unsalted
smooth peanut butter
4 tsp kecap manis, plus a little extra 2 tsp tamarind paste (or 2 tsp lime juice mixed with 2 tsp brown sugar)
1 First, make the peanut sauce. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan over a medium heat, add the chillies and garlic, and fry for 4 mins until softened. Put the peanut butter in a small food processor with the cooked garlic and chillies, kecap manis, tamarind paste and a large pinch of sea salt. Pulse briefly, then add a splash of water to loosen the sauce and pulse again. Gradually add water (about 4 tbsp), continuing to pulse until the sauce is a pourable consistency. Season with salt or more kecap manis if you like.
2 If the tofu is wet, spread the pieces in a single layer on top of several layers of kitchen paper, then cover with additional paper. Let the tofu stand for 15 mins, pressing down occasionally to squeeze out any excess moisture.
3 Bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil over a high heat, add the baby potatoes and simmer for 5-8 mins or until tender when pierced with a fork. Drain, then set aside to cool.
4 Refill the pan with salted water, bring to the boil and cook the broccoli and beans for 1-2 mins or until bright green, crisp and just cooked through. Rinse with cold water, drain and set aside to cool.
5 Heat 4 tbsp oil with a large pinch of salt in a wok or frying pan over a high heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the tempeh and fry for 3-4 mins or until golden. Drain on a tray lined with kitchen paper. Alternatively, if you prefer to grill tempeh, brush it with a mixture of 1 tbsp each of oil and kecap manis and put it under the grill on a high heat for 3-4 mins on each side.
6 Transfer the peanut sauce to a saucepan and cook over a low heat until just warmed through. Arrange the baby potatoes, broccoli, beans, tofu, tempeh, carrot, beansprouts, cucumber, tomatoes and eggs on individual serving plates or bowls. Sprinkle with the fried shallots and put the crackers on one side of the plate, if using. Serve the peanut sauce on the side in a serving bowl or jug, or drizzle generously over the top of each plate. Serve immediately.
GOOD TO KNOW • folate • fibre • vit c • iron
• 4 of 5-a-day • gluten free
PER SERVING (2) 645 kcals • fat 43g • saturates 7g
• carbs 27g • sugars 13g • fibre 11g • protein 31g
• salt 1.6g