Indonesian mixed vegetable salad with peanut dressing — vibrant, textured, satisfying.
Gado-Gado (meaning 'mix-mix') is Indonesia's vegetable masterpiece — a colorful mixture of blanched and raw vegetables (cabbage, carrots, bean sprouts, potatoes, spinach, hard-boiled eggs) dressed in a rich peanut sauce. The contrast of textures — soft vegetables, crunchy sprouts, chewy noodles, crispy tofu — and the umami punch of the peanut sauce makes it irresistible. It's complete nutrition in a bowl.
Serves 4
Blanch cabbage, carrots, and green beans 2–3 minutes until tender-crisp. Keep raw sprouts and spinach separate. Fry tofu until golden.
Fry garlic, then add chili paste, ground peanuts, tamarind, sugar. Add coconut milk. Simmer until thick.
Arrange all vegetables, tofu, eggs, and rice cakes on a plate. Pour peanut sauce over everything.
Don't overcook vegetables — they should retain some crunch.
The sauce can be made ahead and reheated.
Add shrimp or chicken for protein.
Use different vegetables by season.
Refrigerate components. Assemble and sauce fresh.
Gado-Gado is considered one of Indonesia's most important national dishes, eaten for lunch by millions daily.
Sour paste from tamarind pods, essential to Southeast Asian cooking. It adds tart depth to the peanut sauce.
Per serving (550g) · 4 servings total
Ask our AI cooking assistant anything about this recipe — substitutions, techniques, scaling.
Chat with AI Chef →Join the conversation
Sign in to leave a comment and save your favourite recipes