Gado Gado (Indonesian Vegetable Salad)
By Nancy Eisman
A combo of fresh, raw and lightly cooked vegetables in a creamy and zesty peanut dressing, the name of this Indonesian vegetable salad literally translates to “mix-mix”. Usually consisting of cold, cooked potato cubes, hardboiled eggs, tofu, green beans, cabbage, and cucumber, there are numerous versions, with different ingredients swapped in or out, depending on which region of Indonesia you happen to be in.
My Gado Gado relies not on region but on my personal preferences, omitting the egg and adding tomatoes and lots of green onions, mint and cilantro leaves for more freshness and color. Other ingredients I’m going to use in future editions will be tempeh, snap peas, jicama, broccoli or other cruciferous vegetable, and maybe a bit of kale. Lots of possibilities, which is the way I like to mix-mix up my recipes.
Actually, feel free to use anything you like or have on hand, because even if it’s not “authentic”, you won’t care after you’ve covered everything with that scrumptious dressing. The dressing is the bomb (do people still say that?) and this version is super simple. Like the salad, the dressing can also be tweaked to include such flavor boosters like garlic, cumin, tamarind, galangal, and/or lemongrass, with fried onions or shallots as an optional garnish. If you have peanut allergies, try making the dressing with almond or cashew butter, and I’m sure it will be fantastic.
Whichever way you mix-mix it, Gado Gado is healthy, filling, and very, very good-good.
(From Melissa’s DYPs: The Perfect Everyday Potato Cookbook, pgs. 102-103)
Gado Gado (Indonesian Vegetable Salad)
Dressing:
½ cup Creamy Peanut Butter
¾ cup Coconut Milk (lite is fine)
2 teaspoons Light Soy Sauce
1 tablespoon Brown Sugar
1 tablespoon Fresh Lime Juice
½ teaspoon Chile Powder
1/3 cup Vegetable Oil
Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper, to taste
Salad:
2 cups Napa Cabbage, chopped
1½ cups Boiled and Cubed DYPs (Melissa’s Baby Dutch Yellow® Potatoes)
1 cup Mini Cucumber or Seedless Cucumber, cubed
1 cup Roma Tomatoes, cubed
1 package Melissa’s Hawaiian Style Tofu, cubed
¾ cup Bean Sprouts
½ cup Green Onions, chopped
½ cup Cilantro, chopped
½ cup Fresh Mint, chopped
½ cup Roasted Peanuts
Whisk the dressing ingredients together, adjust for heat or sweetness to taste, and set aside.
On a large platter, place the cabbage in the center, and then place the DYPs, cucumber, tofu, and tomatoes around the edges. Sprinkle the bean sprouts, green onions, cilantro, mint, and peanuts over the cabbage. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve with the dressing on the side for a nice presentation or, if preferred, toss together just before serving.
