Recipe: Gado-gado - Indonesian vegetable salad with peanut sauce

Gado-gado is a very popular salad in Indonesia and has many regional variations. At its base though, it is a composed salad of cooked and raw vegetables either topped or tossed with a peanut sauce. Gado-gado is an excellent addition to a buffet or rijsttafel.

Ingredients

• Mung beans - 1 cup
• Carrots, peeled and sliced into rounds - 2
• Green beans, cut into 2-inch lengths - 1 cup
• Potato, peeled and cubed - 2
• Romaine lettuce, outer leaves kept whole, remainer shredded - 2 cups
• Cucumbers, peeled, seeds removed, cut into half moons - 1
• Tomatoes, cut into wedges - 2-3
• Hard-boiled eggs, cut into wedges - 2-3
• Krupuk (shrimp crackers) (optional) - 10-12
• Sambal kacang (peanut sauce) - 1 recipe

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Have another large pot of cold water close by. Add the sprouts and boil them for 10-15 seconds. Remove the sprouts from the water with a slotted spoon and plunge them into the cold water. Drain, squeeze dry and set aside. Repeat this process with the carrots, green beans and potatoes.
Lay the outer whole leaves of the Romaine lettuce on a large platter to form a base. Spread the shredded lettuce over the base.
Layer the blanched, drained vegetables over the shredded lettuce. Garnish the platter with the cucumbers wedges, tomatoes, egg and krupuk crackers.
Pour the sambal kacang over the vegetables and serve.

Variations

The vegetables can be all mixed together or even served in separate little piles. The sauce can likewise be poured over all, mixed in or served in a bowl on the side for individual diners to dip into as they like.
The vegetables listed above are those most commonly used for gado gado, but you can use whatever you like. Other common additions: cauliflower; snow peas, spinach or other greens, cubed and fried beancurd (tahu / tofu) or tempeh.
The firmer vegetables are usually blanched or steamed, but they can also be served raw.
Garnish with toasted sesame seeds or fried onions if you like.
Gado gado is usually served cold or at room temperature, but it is sometimes heated a little in an oven before serving.

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