Gado Gado (Indonesian Salad with Peanut Sauce) – 加多加多

An Indonesian dish that is a favourite here, Gado Gado is an incredible peanut-ey street dish that is a complete mix of tau kwa, long beans, cabbage, eggs, and that yummy sauce. Fun fact – Gado Gado means “Mix mix”, which is exactly what this dish is about!

The key is in the making of the peanut sauce – combining dried chilli, shallots, lemongrass, balacan, coconut milk and a lot more, it’s not surprising that the taste is flavorful and fragrant. It takes a bit of time to come up with the dish, but oh-so-worth it!

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  • Servings: 6

  • Time: 1 hr

  • Skill: Intermediate

Ingredients

  1. 2 fried Tau Kwa (firm tofu)

  2. 150g long beans

  3. 150g cabbage

  4. 150g bean sprouts (ends removed)

  5. 6 hard boiled eggs

  6. ½ cucumber

  7. Sauce:

  8. 20 dried chillies (soaked in hot water for 20 mins)

  9. 5 shallots

  10. 2 lemongrass (white portion only)

  11. 30g galanga

  12. 15g turmeric

  13. 20g belacan

  14. ⅓ cup oil

  15. 400 ml water

  16. 100 ml coconut milk

  17. 2 tbsp assam water (1 tbsp assam paste with 1 tbsp assam water)

  18. ¼ cup sugar (adjust to preference)

  19. 1 tbsp salt (adjust to preference)

  20. 1 cup grounded peanut

Instructions

  1. Cut 2 fried Tau Kwa (firm tofu) into cubes

  2. Cut 150g long beans into 1 inch long and roughly chop 150g cabbage

  3. Cut ½ cucumber into quartered slices

  4. Add 20 soaked dried chillies, 5 shallots, 2 lemongrass (white portion only), 30 g galanga, 15 g turmeric and 20g Belacan to the food processor.

  5. Blend into a fine paste

  6. Heat ⅓ cup oil in a wok

  7. Add blended spice paste and stir fry until fragrant

  8. Add 400 ml water, 100 ml coconut milk, 2 tbsp assam water, ¼ cup sugar and 1 tbsp salt

  9. Mix well and let it cook for 10 mins on low heat

  10. Add 1 cup grounded peanut and cook for another 5 mins

  11. Turn off heat and set sauce aside

  12. Quarter 6 hard boiled eggs

  13. Blanch long beans, 150g bean sprouts and cabbage

  14. Drain and set aside in a mixing bowl

  15. Add a serving portion of the mixed vegetables on a plate

  16. Add sliced cucumbers, fried Tau Kwa and hard boiled eggs

  17. Serve with peanut sauce