Name: Gado Gado Indonesian Salad with Easy Peanut Sauce
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 135 min
Ingredients: 20 string green beans, (ends removed); 1 red capsicum/bell pepper, sliced lengthways; 1/2 cucumber, cut into small chunks; 2 potatoes, boiled until just soft & holds its shape, (cooled & cut into small chunks); 3 eggs, boiled, cut in half; 1/2 packet smoked tofu, cubed; 1 packet store-bought prawn crackers (optional); 6 tbsp crunchy peanut butter; 125 ml full or light coconut milk; 1 fresh red chilli, finely chopped (optional); ½ lime, juiced; 1 tsp coconut, palm or brown sugar; 2 tsp Tamari gluten-free soy sauce; 2 tsp sweet chilli sauce; salt & white pepper, to taste; 180 g Jasmine rice; ¼ tsp salt; 500 ml water; 2 tbsp coconut oil; 2 strands fresh pandan leaves, or; 1 tsp pandan extract

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Gado Gado is an Indonesian cold salad of blanched, steamed or fresh vegetables of your choice, plus hard-boiled eggs & tofu served with a peanut satay sauce. There is no strict rule about what vegetables you choose to add to Gado Gado, so have fun creating your own platter of veggies. You can throw in some prawn crackers for that extra crunch or even some cubed pineapple pieces to add some sweetness.

The following peanut satay sauce is an easy version of the “authentic” satay sauce for Gluten-Free Chicken Satays. In comparison, it is lightning quick to make and very tame in spiciness, so children will also enjoy this sauce with almost any vegetables. A good way to get your kids to eat their veggies!

KETUPAT Rice Cakes

A traditional and popular addition to Gado Gado salad is some cubed Ketupat rice cakes. These are compressed rice cakes that has been cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaves.

In Indonesia, these cakes are packed into woven palm leaf pouches and sold as a side to many local dishes including satays. These are perfect to dip into the peanut sauce as they absorb the flavour without losing their shape.

Ketupat rice cakes cut into cubes with satay sticks to dip in peanut sauce

Gado Gado Indonesian Salad platter with an assortment of vegetables, boiled eggs, tofu and rice cakes surrounding a bowl of gluten-free easy peanut sauce

Gado Gado Indonesian Salad with Easy Peanut Sauce

by Sandra - Fun Without Gluten

Gado Gado is a naturally gluten-free Indonesian cold salad of blanched, steamed or fresh vegetables of your choice, including hard-boiled eggs, rice cakes & tofu, served with a peanut satay sauce. There is no strict rule about what vegetables you choose to add to Gado Gado, so have fun creating your own platter of veggies. You could even add fresh pineapple as a fruit option.

A traditional and popular addition to Gado Gado salad is some cubed rice cakes called Ketupat in Indonesian and Malay. These are compressed rice that has been cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaves. These are perfect to dip into the peanut sauce as they absorb the flavour without losing their shape. They are also served together with Gluten-Free Chicken Satays.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 30 mins

Cook Time 45 mins

Rice cakes cooling time 1 hr

Total Time 2 hrs 15 mins

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Indonesian

Servings

Equipment

medium wooden/bamboo skewers for dipping certain veggies, tofu and rice cakes into the satay sauce
Food processor

Ingredients

Gado Gado Salad

20 string green beans, ends removed
1 red capsicum/bell pepper, sliced lengthways
1/2 cucumber, cut into small chunks
2 potatoes, boiled until just soft & holds its shape, cooled & cut into small chunks
3 eggs, boiled, cut in half
1/2 packet smoked tofu, cubed
1 packet store-bought prawn crackers (optional)

Gluten-Free Easy Peanut Sauce

6 tbsp crunchy peanut butter
125 ml full or light coconut milk
1 fresh red chilli, finely chopped (optional)
½ lime, juiced
1 tsp coconut, palm or brown sugar
2 tsp Tamari gluten-free soy sauce
2 tsp sweet chilli sauce
salt & white pepper, to taste

Rice Cakes (Ketupat in Indonesian and Malay)

180 g Jasmine rice
¼ tsp salt
500 ml water
2 tbsp coconut oil
2 strands fresh pandan leaves, or
1 tsp pandan extract

Instructions

Gado Gado Salad

Boil the potatoes (with or without their peel) for 15 minutes or until just cooked. Set aside to cool. Try not to overcook the potatoes as the potatoes should hold their shape for easy dipping into the sauce.
Boil the eggs for 8 minutes. Drain the water away and run the eggs under cold water for easy peeling of the shells. Set aside to cool.
Cook the green beans in simmering water for 8 minutes. Drain the beans and submerge them in iced water for a few minutes. Drain again and set aside.
Cut the remaining fresh vegetables and smoked tofu.
Arrange the vegetables, tofu & potatoes on a large platter. Cover and set aside.

Gluten-Free Easy Peanut Sauce

In a small pan, mix the peanut butter, coconut milk & optional fresh chilli gently over medium-low heat for 15 minutes or until it thickens into a “dipping sauce” consistency.
Add the lime juice, sugar, soy sauce and sweet chilli sauce.
Gently simmer for 15 minutes, keeping the "dipping sauce" consitency constant. If the mixture becomes too thick, add more coconut milk. Too thin, reduce the heat and simmer with the lid off until the sauce reduces down and thickens. Alternatively, add a bit more peanut sauce as a faster step.
Taste the peanut sauce before adding the pepper and salt to your liking.
Allow to cool down slightly before serving at room temperature.
Serve the peanut sauce in a large bowl in the centre of the salad platter and provide satay sticks to pierce the Gado Gado salad ingredients individually to dip into the sauce. Additionally, serve with optional rice cakes and prawn crackers.

Rice Cakes

Wash and drain the rice several times.
Add the rice, salt, coconut oil and water to the rice cooker or stove pot.
Tie the pandan leaves into a knot and place them in the rice or mix the pandan essence in the rice water.
Cook the rice in the rice cooker or bring the water to a boil and simmer gently in the stove pot for 15 minutes, or until all the water has evaporated.
Once cooked, fluff the rice with a spatula.
Discard the pandan leaves.
Transfer the warm rice to a plastic-lined square 23cm tray.
Press the rice firmly down into the tray using a spatula, pushing the rice towards the corners and sides of the tray.
Cover the rice-filled tray with plastic and using a skewer or satay stick, make several holes for the steam to escape.
Allow to cool in the fridge for at least one hour before cutting the rice cakes into 1 ½ cm squares using a warm knife by dipping the knife in warm water and wiping it dry with a clean tea towel.
NOTE: If you would like more "compact" rice cakes, place several milk cartons or tins on their sides on top of the plastic-covered rice cake tray for an extra hour.