Meet the perfect salad: Gado Gado! Fresh veggies, satisfying proteins, rich peanut sauce for a burst of delight in every bite.
If there’s a salad that I can eat forever, it’s this – Gado Gado! This is an Indonesian dish that is also embraced in Malaysia and Singapore. You can easily find this dish at any of our local hawker centres. Gado gado is a vibrant salad that combines crunchy vegetables, protein-rich tofu or eggs, and a luscious peanut sauce that’s simply irresistible! It’s also one of the easiest and versatile Southeast Asian dishes to make.
“Gado gado” is an Indonesian term that translates to “mix-mix” or “blend-blend” in English. This name perfectly reflects the nature of the dish, as it involves a variety of ingredients that are mixed together to create this flavourful and vibrant salad.
Why You Will Love Gado Gado
- Versatility: Can be enjoyed by meat-lovers, vegetarians, and vegans alike. One of the reasons people adore gado gado is its versatility! Whether you’re a meat-lover, vegetarian, or vegan, there’s a version of gado gado for everyone.
- Nutritious: Provides a balanced meal with a mix of vegetables, protein, and healthy fats. Additionally, its refreshing combination of crisp vegetables, creamy peanut sauce, and protein-rich tofu or eggs makes it a satisfying and nutritious meal.
- Play of Textures: The combination of the different ingredients offers a great play of textures! There is crisp, tenderness, creaminess all in one dish.
- Satisfying: Offers a satisfying and fulfilling meal experience, perfect for lunch or dinner.
Key Ingredients to Make Gado Gado
Gado Gado is versatile and you can add so many things to it! There are 5 easy components to this salad:
1. Vegetables
The dish is meant to showcase local produce, which means a lot of vegetables are going to work for Gado Gado! The vegetables provide a crunchy and refreshing base for the dish – depending on how you prepare them. Some can be raw, some are blanched to tenderness.
The vegetables in this recipe are what is abundantly and cheaply available here; use the most accessible ingredient you have!
- Potatoes, boiled
- long/green beans, blanched
- cabbages, blanched
- beansprouts, blanched
- cucumber
2. Proteins
Proteins come in the form of hard-boiled eggs, tofu and tempeh. These protein-rich additions not only make the salad more filling but also contribute to its nutritional value. They provide a satisfying element to the dish, balancing out the fresh vegetables and creamy peanut sauce.
- Hard-boiled Eggs
- Firm Tofu
- Tempeh
3. Carbs
Carbs primarily come from the potatoes, which are typically boiled and cubed before being added to the salad.
While not essential in the Indonesian version, you will always find cubed compressed rice cakes/lontong in the Singapore and Malaysian versions. Both the potatoes and rice cakes add a hearty component to the dish, energy and satiety. You can also serve a bowl of rice with this!
- Potatoes
- Compressed Rice Cakes/Lontong/Nasi impit/Ketupat
Want to make EASY homemade compressed rice cakes? See my easy recipe here!
4. Peanut Sauce
The peanut sauce is the star of gado gado, adding richness, creaminess, and a burst of flavour to the dish – this is the luscious sauce that ties everything together.
In this post, I featured a very easy peanut sauce recipe, adapted from my Cheat Peanut Sauce!
If you want to level up this dish and make THE BEST, authentic peanut sauce from scratch, see this recipe:
5. Crisp: Fried Shallots and Kerupuk/Emping/Crackers
Fried shallots and kerupuk (prawn crackers) or emping (melinjo crackers) are traditional garnishes that add texture and depth to the salad! These two add a fabulous textural crunch to the rest of the salad ingredients and I consider them absolute must-haves whenever I have a bowl of this.
Key Steps to Making Gado Gado
1. Prepare the Vegetables
Blanch the potatoes until tender, then drain and set aside.
Blanch the rest of the vegetables until tender, such as cabbages, green beans and beansprouts then drain and set aside. If you would like to keep them raw, that is ok too.
There is no need to cook the cucumbers; slice to preference and set aside.
2. Prepare the Proteins & Carbs
Boil eggs. Peel and halve the eggs.
Cut the firm tofu and tempeh, to similar sizes. Blot the firm tofu with paper towels to remove as much excess water as possible.
Cook until crispy, there are two ways:
Method #1: Fry in Oil
Pan fry or deep fry the tofu and tempeh bites in neutral tasting oil until golden brown.
Method #2: Air Fry
This is of course, my preferred method!
- Toss the cubed tofu and tempeh in oil.
- Preheat air fryer at 180°C (350°F).
- Spread in a single layer on the air fryer rack and air fry for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Halfway through, take the basket out and shake to evenly mix the cubes.
3. Assemble the Gado Gado Salad
Arrange the blanched and fresh vegetables, tofu and tempeh, eggs, and fresh vegetables and the rice cakes, if using, on a serving platter.
4. Serve Immediately!
Before serving the gado gado, top with fried shallots and kerupuk for extra crispiness.
Pour the peanut sauce over the salad and MIX MIX to combine!
Alternatively, you can serve the peanut sauce on the side, so everyone can mix their own bowls of gado gado!
How to Serve Gado Gado
- Gado gado can be enjoyed as a main dish, side dish, or appetizer.
- Serve it family-style on a large platter, allowing everyone to help themselves.
Can you Make Ahead Gado Gado?
ABSOLUTELY! Gado Gado is one of my favourite dishes to meal prep!
All of the ingredients above can be prepared ahead of time and kept in the fridge. When you’re ready to enjoy Gado Gado, give everything a quick blitz in the microwave, or steam to reheat. Assemble and serve as per recipe.
More Recipes Like This
- Singapore and Malaysian Chicken Satay
- Mee Soto Ayam | Malay Chicken Noodle Soup
- Authentic Sambal Goreng | Spicy Tofu Tempe Stir Fry
- Opor Ayam | Indonesian White Curry Chicken RecipeOxtail Soup | Sup Buntut
Gado Gado
2
servings10
minutes10
minutesIngredients
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
2 cups cabbage, cut
1 cup long/green beans, trimmed
1 cup beansprouts
1 cucumber, sliced
2 hard-boiled eggs, halved
250g or about 1 firm tofu, cubed
150g or about 1 pack tempeh, cubed
- Peanut Sauce
1 cup peanut butter, unsweetened
1 cup coconut milk
1-2 tbsps sambal
1/2 cup water (optional, as needed)
- Served With
Fried Shallots
Fish or Prawn Crackers / Kerupuk
Directions
- Preparing the Ingredients
- Vegetables: In a large pot of boiling water, boil the potatoes until tender to preference, for about 5-7 minutes. Then blanch green beans, cabbages and beansprouts, until tender to preference. You can also leave these raw. Drain and set aside.
- Tofu & Tempeh: Cut the tofu and tempeh into equal-sized cubes. Pat firm tofu dry.
To Fry:
Deep fry the tofu and tempeh for about 4-5 minutes, or until golden brown.
To pan fry, spread the tofu and tempeh in a pan with oil and place over medium heat. Pan fry for 2 minutes, before turning the tofu and tempeh to the other side. Cook for another 2 minutes, or until evenly golden brown, before removing from pan.
To Air Fry:
Toss the cubed tofu and tempeh in about a tablespoon of cooking oil to coat.
Preheat air fryer at 180°C (350°F).
Spread in a single layer on the air fryer rack and air fry for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Halfway through, take the basket out and shake to evenly mix the cubes. - The Peanut Sauce
- Add peanut butter, coconut milk and sambal in a sauce pan. Place over low to medium heat.
- Continuously stir until well-combined. If peanut sauce is thick, add water to loosen sauce until desired consistency.
- Once the sauce comes up to a boil, peanut sauce is ready! Remove from heat.
- Assembly
- Arrange all of the ingredients including the potatoes, blanched vegetables, cucumber slices, fried tofu and tempeh, eggs and lontong/nasi impit/ketupat on a large serving platter.
- Pour the peanut sauce over the salad. Alternatively, serve on the side.
- Right before serving, sprinkle over fried shallots and crackers for extra fresh crispiness. Serve the gado gado immediately, allowing each person to mix the ingredients and peanut sauce according to their preference.
Did you make this recipe?
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