Gado Gado is a beloved Indonesian dish made with all kinds of vegetables, typically will boast some tofu as the protein along with boiled eggs, but what makes this so adored by all is the creamy, savory and flavorful peanut butter dressing that is drizzled or doused all over this dish.
Being that I love any dish that is veggie forward, I knew I had to try this and it was a hit right out of the gate.
I had a plethora of green beans out of my box gardens. In traditional gado-gado I've seen green beans used consistently so knew that would be a fabulous use for the bounty of my little garden. Even holding a sun warmed green bean brings back memories of "snapping" them with my grandmothers. What a joy to be able to help in their kitchens as they made supper preparations. ![]()
I paired them with a sweet red pepper, also out of my garden, crunchy vivid purple cabbage, crisp English cucumber and caramelized roasted sweet potatoes.
While regular new potatoes or small potatoes are more typically found in Gado Gado, I knew these cubed and roasted sweet potatoes would amp up all those gorgeous rainbow colors, nutrition, and of course they are sweet potatoes after all.
I added in some boiled eggs, also traditional, that I cooked quickly and to perfection in my Ninja Foodi (Available on my SHOP page) on the pressure cooker setting. They took 4 minutes for a perfectly hard boiled egg. Next time I will try 3 minutes to see if I get a perfectly soft boiled egg with an almost, not quite, but almost runny yolk.
The piece de resistance in this beautiful dish is the peanut butter dressing that is drizzled all over. No wonder kids of all ages love this. I could eat this creamy dressing by the spoonful. OK, I might have already done so. Lol.
I actually used cashew butter for my sauce as that's what I had on hand, but any nut butter would suffice and individual nut butters would each lend their own unique flavor to this dressing, making it a simple swap if you have a peanut allergy in your home.
I add a little bit of heat with some Gochujang (A fermented chili paste), but any chili paste or sriracha would do if you'd like a bit of heat. Leave it out if you're heat averse. I also add a teaspoon of red Thai curry paste, which has an intense flavor profile that really amps up the savory quality of the dressing. A squeeze of tart lime and mellowing it all with creamy coconut milk rounds it out to pure perfection. The sauce will keep in your fridge for several days so feel free to make in advance. Gado Gado is the epitome of adaptable, as you can use any vegetables you have on hand. You can use any protein you like. I used a little bit of roasted, cubed chicken breast in mine but you can go totally without any protein source or add the more likely candidate of tofu if you want to go that route. I do love a good crispy tofu. Check out my recipe HERE to see how I like to make mine. So easy.
This would actually be a fun dish for a larger crowd when you are putting out a "bar" and everyone can make up their own bowl of Gado Gado to their liking. Your guests will be talking about it for months to come. It's also really fun for kids because they can put what they want into their bowl and drizzle it with peanut sauce. As I mentioned the peanut butter can be substituted with any nut or seed butter, so if you or your littles have a sensitivity, this is easy to switch up.
Let me know how you like gado-gado. Hot, cold, room temp. It's a no fail meal. ![]()
Some of my favorite affiliate items used in this recipe:
Gado Gado (Indonesian salad with peanut butter dressing)
Serves 4 Dressing 1/3 cup natural peanut butter or other nut butter (I used cashew butter) 1 heaping tablespoon coconut aminos (or sauce sauce + 1 teaspoon honey) 1 teaspoon Thai red curry paste (optional) (like Thai Kitchen brand) 1 teaspoon Gochujang or other chili paste or sriracha (to your heat level) 1/2 teaspoon sea salt 1 garlic clove, minced or grated 1 inch piece fresh ginger, grated (easiest if it's been kept in the freezer). *(See my cook's tip) Juice of 1/2 lime 1/2 cup coconut milk 1/2 cup water (optional to thin the sauce) For the dressing, combine all ingredients in a small sauce pan (I love my KitchenAid Set) except for the water. Bring to a simmer, then remove from heat and stir in water until you have the perfect consistency for drizzling over your salad. The dressing will thicken as it cools and keeps very nicely in your refrigerator for a few days if you care to make it in advance. Salad & Assembling (Any veg combination you like works. This was mine ;-) 1 bunch baby spinach (about 2 large handfuls 1-2 sweet potatoes, peeled, diced & roasted (or small roasted new potatoes) **(See my Cook's tip) 1 cup green beans (blanched, roasted or microwaved until tender crisp) 1/2 English (hothouse) cucumber, sliced into matchstick 4 hard or soft boiled eggs (I'm loving Vital Farms). These eggs take 4 minutes in my Ninja Foodi 1 red bell pepper, stem & core removed & cut into strips Crispy tofu (optional). See my easy recipe HERE Roasted chicken or shredded from a rotisserie chicken (optional) 1 jalapeno, sliced (optional) 1 handful mint or basil, roughly torn (optional) 4 tablespoons chopped roasted peanuts or nut of choice (optional ) 1 lime, quartered to serve & squeeze over Gado Gado Artfully arrange your ingredients of choice among 4 rimmed plates or bowls. I like to keep all the different colors together and then tuck the eggs in after I've sliced them open to reveal their golden yolks. Drizzle with the peanut butter dressing, serving extra on the side. Garnish with jalapeño, mint, basil and crushed peanuts. Serve a lime wedge on the side for a tart squeeze over the top. *Cook's tip - The easiest way to store and grate fresh ginger is to thoroughly wash the nob or hand of ginger when you bring it home from the store, dry it off, then keep it in a plastic bag in your freezer until you're ready to use. Frozen ginger greats very nicely and you don't even need to peel it. ** Cook's tip - to roast my cubed sweet potatoes, I put them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet in a 425° oven. Depending on the size of your cubes they will take anywhere between 20 and 35 minutes. I simply drizzle them with olive oil, salt and pepper for this preparation.
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Greetings!Mariann Taylor here of Taylor Kitchen. My husband and I created this site, Pinterest and Instagram accounts, and affiliated YouTube channel as an outlet for one of my passions....cooking. I love to cook and my husband, Tim, is a willing participant in my culinary escapades, as well as chief taste tester. We hope you'll join us, try some TaylorKitchen creations and like and subscribe to our YouTube channel. Categories
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