Welcome to day 8 of 10 naturally vegan series. Yesterday, I shared Congee, a rice porridge— staple across all of Asia. Click here to check it out! On day eight, we head to Indonesia for Gado-Gado.
Gado-Gado is a treasured dish across Indonesia. Each region has a variation of its own. It is considered a double-carb dish in Jakarta because it features rice cakes and potatoes. In East Java, it’s served with peanut sauce on top. In West Java, it is done with raw vegetables.
What makes Gado-Gado unique is the spicy peanut sauce. There are many ways to make the sauce, but the main ingredient is peanuts-- freshly pounded or peanut butter. You can change the spice level by adding little to no heat, and it will still be a fantastic sauce.
Gado-Gado is made for everyone! It can be made for pescetarians who still consume fish; it can be consumed by vegetarians who include eggs in their diets, and for vegans by omitting the dried shrimp paste and egg.
There are many ways to prepare Gado-Gado: raw, blanched, or boiled vegetables, cabbage or lettuce base, fried/baked tempeh or tofu, crunchy toppings, or no toppings. Gado-Gado is meant to be a mega salad where you can incorporate seasonal veggies, making it different wherever you go and at whatever time of the year. Just don't forget the peanut sauce!
Gado-Gado takes plain vegetables and makes them irresistible. The peanut sauce brings the entire dish together. I chose chopped raw napa cabbage, blanched potatoes, green beans, bean sprouts, raw cucumbers, and crispy tempeh for my salad. Before drowning my salad in peanut sauce, I took bites without it, and it tasted exactly what you would imagine blanched plain vegetables would taste–bland. The peanut sauce marries the vegetables and brings this salad to a whole new level. I love this versatile dish so much, and it makes an excellent weeknight dinner, meal-prepped lunch, or snack.
Recipe from Recipe Tin Eats
Is this a salad you can see yourself eating daily?!
See you tomorrow for day 9!