Gado-Gado — Indonesian Salad with Peanut Sauce
Indonesia's beloved composed salad: blanched vegetables, fried tofu and tempeh, boiled egg and potato, all bathed in a warm, sweet-savoury peanut sauce. 'Gado-gado' means 'mix-mix' — it's endlessly adaptable, vegetarian-friendly, and a complete meal in a bowl.
Blanch a mix of vegetables (cabbage, long beans, bean sprouts, spinach) and boil potatoes and eggs. Fry tofu and tempeh until golden. Make a peanut sauce by blending fried peanuts (or natural peanut butter) with garlic, chilli, palm sugar, tamarind, kecap manis and a little salt, thinned with warm water to a pourable cream. Arrange everything on a platter and pour the warm sauce over, then top with fried shallots and crackers.
- Blanch each vegetable separately just until crisp-tender so colours and textures stay distinct.
- The sauce should be pourable but coating — thin it with warm water gradually; it thickens as it sits.
- Balance the peanut sauce across sweet (palm sugar), sour (tamarind), salty (kecap manis) and a little heat.
Equipment
- Blender or mortar and pestle
- Large pot
- Frying pan
- Slotted spoon
सामग्री
Peanut sauce
- 200 g roasted unsalted peanuts, or 180 g natural peanut butter
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2–4 red chillies, to taste
- 40 g palm sugar (gula merah), or brown sugar
- 15 ml tamarind paste, loosened with 2 tbsp water
- 30 ml kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)
- 250 ml warm water, more as needed
- Salt, to taste
Salad
- 2 medium potatoes, boiled and sliced
- 4 eggs, hard-boiled and halved
- 200 g firm tofu, cubed and fried
- 200 g tempeh, sliced and fried
- 150 g cabbage, shredded and blanched
- 150 g long beans or green beans, blanched
- 150 g bean sprouts, blanched
- 100 g spinach or water spinach, blanched
- 1 cucumber, sliced
To serve
- Fried shallots
- Prawn crackers (kerupuk) or emping
- Lontong (compressed rice cake), optional
विधि
- स्टेप01
Boil the potatoes until tender, 15 minutes, then slice. Hard-boil the eggs (8 minutes), cool, peel and halve.
- स्टेप02
Bring a pot of salted water to the boil. Blanch each vegetable separately just until crisp-tender — cabbage and beans 2 minutes, sprouts and spinach 30–60 seconds — lifting each out with a slotted spoon and refreshing under cold water so they stay bright.
- स्टेप03
Fry the tofu cubes and tempeh slices in hot oil until golden and crisp on all sides. Drain on paper towels.
- स्टेप04
Blend (or pound) the peanuts, garlic, chillies, palm sugar, tamarind and kecap manis into a thick paste. Add warm water a little at a time until you have a smooth, pourable sauce. Taste and balance sweet, sour, salty and heat; add salt as needed.
- स्टेप05
Arrange the vegetables, potato, tofu, tempeh, egg and cucumber on a large platter or in bowls. Pour the warm peanut sauce generously over the top, or serve it alongside. Scatter with fried shallots and tuck crackers around the edge. Serve at once.
Make ahead
The peanut sauce is the make-ahead hero — make it days in advance and reheat gently with a splash of water. Blanch vegetables and fry tofu/tempeh a few hours ahead, then assemble at the table.
Storage
Keep components separate: blanched vegetables and fried tofu/tempeh up to 2 days refrigerated; peanut sauce up to 1 week (it firms up — loosen with warm water). Assemble just before serving so nothing goes soggy.
Variations
Gado-gado Surabaya
Add a little petis (shrimp paste) to the sauce and serve with extra lontong for the East Javanese style.
Vegan
Skip the egg and use vegan crackers — the sauce is already plant-based. Add extra tempeh for protein.
Quick weeknight
Use good natural peanut butter for the sauce and a bag of pre-cut salad and sprouts.
Serve with
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition values are estimates based on the metric measurements. Adjust as needed.
अक्सर पूछे जाने वाले
What is gado-gado?
Gado-gado is an Indonesian composed salad of blanched and raw vegetables, fried tofu and tempeh, boiled egg and potato, dressed in a warm peanut sauce. The name means roughly 'mix-mix' — it's a hearty, mostly vegetarian one-plate meal found all over Indonesia.
Can I use peanut butter instead of whole peanuts?
Yes. Natural peanut butter (just peanuts, no added sugar) makes an excellent shortcut sauce. Use about 180 g and blend with the same aromatics, thinning with warm water until pourable.
What's the difference between gado-gado and pecel?
They're close cousins. Pecel (from Java) uses a similar peanut sauce but is typically spicier, often includes kaffir lime leaf, and is served over a tighter set of vegetables. Gado-gado is generally milder and includes potato and egg.
How do I keep the vegetables crisp?
Blanch each vegetable separately and only until crisp-tender, then refresh immediately in cold water and drain well. Dress with the sauce only when serving — sitting in sauce makes them limp.
Is gado-gado healthy?
It's nutrient-dense — lots of vegetables, plant protein from tofu and tempeh, and egg. The peanut sauce is rich, so control the portion of sauce if you're watching calories; the salad itself is light and high in fibre.
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