Indonesian Gado Gado is a basically a mix of salad type ingredients along with a few other key items. Gado Gado literally means mix-mix so you get the idea, pretty much anything goes. The star of this dish however is the delicious peanut dressing. Many of the vegetables ingredients are either blanched or cooked or sometimes fresh. This is a fabulous way to use leftovers. Enjoy!
Indonesian Gado Gado (Salad with peanut sauce)
Servings 4
Ingredients
- 1 1 ⁄2 cups roasted unsalted peanuts
- 1 1 ⁄2 tsp. Indonesian shrimp paste
- 1 ⁄4 cup grated palm or dark brown sugar
- 2 cloves garlic peeled
- 1 Thai chili chopped
- 3 ⁄4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
- 1 tbsp. palm or rice vinegar
- Kosher salt to taste
- Peanut oil for frying
- 1 lb. medium Yukon gold potatoes peeled and sliced 1⁄3" thick
- 7 oz. firm tofu drained, pressed, and cut into 1⁄2"-thick triangles
- 5 oz. Chinese water or regular spinach stems removed, leaves cut into 2" pieces
- 4 oz. long beans or regular green beans trimmed and cut into 2" pieces
- 2 cups mung bean sprouts
- 2 medium carrots sliced 1⁄4" thick on an angle
- 1 ⁄4 head green cabbage cored and cut into 1 1⁄2" pieces
- 1 carrot sliced on an angle
- 15 Indonesian shrimp chips fried
- 3 eggs hard-boiled, peeled, and sliced or quartered
Instructions
- Heat a large nonstick skillet or wok over medium heat.
- Cook peanuts until golden, 8–10 minutes; let cool.
- Transfer to a food processor; pulse until ground.
- Return skillet to medium-high heat. In a piece of aluminum foil, wrap shrimp paste into a flat package; cook, flipping once, until toasted and fragrant, 2–4 minutes.
- Let cool, unwrap, and transfer to food processor.
- Add sugar, garlic, and chili; purée into a paste.
- Transfer paste to skillet and add coconut milk; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture begins to separate, 5–7 minutes.
- Stir in vinegar, salt, and 1⁄2 cup water; simmer until sauce is thickened, 2–3 minutes.
- Set aside
- Heat 2" oil in a saucepan until a deep-fry thermometer reads 350°. Working in batches, fry potatoes until golden and cooked through, 3–4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain.
- Fry tofu until puffed and golden, about 2 minutes; drain on paper towels.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; working in batches, cook spinach, beans, sprouts, carrots, and cabbage until just tender, 30 seconds to 1 minute for spinach, beans, and sprouts and 2–3 minutes for carrots and cabbage.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer vegetables to a bowl of ice water until chilled; drain, spread on paper towels to dry, and transfer to a large platter. Add potatoes and tofu,.
- Top with reserved sauce, shrimp chips, and eggs.
