Gado Gado (Indonesian salad with peanut sauce)
Jul 29, 2025 03:01 AM
Gado gado is probably the best known Indonesian salad, and for good reason with it's tasty mix of vegetables smothered in a flavor-packed peanut sauce. It's hearty enough to be a full meal but also well balanced and not too heavy. Perfect as a light summer's meal (or any excuse).
I've mentioned before that I am a little so-so on the idea of salad in the most traditional sense, but I'm a big fan of salads that are more than just greens and a couple of additions. Many Asian salads are much more in line with my tastes, from Thai pomelo salad to Vietnamese chicken salad, and this one is another I love.
Yes, there are some green elements, but it also has potato, egg and less salad-y vegetables like beans. Then there's that amazing sauce that brings it all together.
This salad, as mentioned above, is from Indonesia, though exactly where is a little unclear. Some believe it is a Sundanese dish as it's particularly popular in Java, but you will find it across the country. In fact, it has been listed as one of the five national dishes, along with rendang, nasi goreng, satay/sate and soto.
Different regions have slight variations in the ingredients, with some a little simpler than others. Gado gado Surabaya typically includes coconut milk in the sauce while others use water. The Padang version often includes noodles and tends to be more spicy. Some of the variation is down to taste and what you have, too.
Ingredients:
For Peanut Sauce
- 1 tablespoon tamarind pulp soaked in 2 tbsp/30ml boiling water
- 75 g roasted unsalted peanuts
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 red chili optional
- ½ tablespoon kecap manis
- 1 tablespoon palm sugar or coconut/brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ lime juice ie juice of ½ lime
- 3 tablespoon hot water approximately, as needed
- vegetable, canola or sunflower oil for frying
For Salad
- 1 hard boiled egg (or 2 if you prefer a bit more)
- 2 potatoes
- 4 oz green beans
- 1 cup beansprouts
- 2 handfuls green cabbage shredded
- 1 Persian cucumber or ½ English cucumber
- 6-8 cherry tomatoes
- 2 slices fried tofu approx, or more/less to taste, diced
To serve
- 1 tablespoon fried shallots approximately, optional but recommended
- 10 Indonesian shrimp crackers (krupuk udang)
Prep Time:
20 minutes
Cook Time:
10 minutes
Total Time:
30 minutes
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