Gado Gado
Gado Gado is an Indonesian composed salad. There are as many variations on the ingredients are there are cooks who make gado gado. Here is mine:
1006 beansprouts, blanched in boiling hot water for 60 seconds & refreshed
150g dwarf beans, steamed
60g cooked spinach
1 carrot, shredded finely
100g cabbage leaves, blanched in boiling hot water for 60 seconds & refreshed
1 tomato, sliced
4 quails eggs, hard boiled
100g deep fried tofu
2 tablespoons soy sauce
50g shallots, finely sliced
1 teaspoon oil
Fry the sliced shallots in the oil until brown and crisp. Drain on paper towels.
Cut the deep fried tofu into bite sized pieces and toss with the soy sauce.
Arrange all ingredients on a serving plate. Garnish with the crispy fried shallot and serve with gado gado dressing.
Nutrition Data
Calories (kcal) 725.8
Carbohydrate (g) 50.3
Protein (g) 48.2
Fat (g) 38.1
Fibre (g) 16.2
I used some "bumbu gado gado" that I bought on a recent foray into China Town. It is Enak Eco brand and made me nostalgic. Enak Eco is found all over Indonesia, but it is made in Malang, Java. I visited Malang on the way to Mount Bromo, an active volcano & one of the most spectacular sights in Java.
I did not get to take any pictures at Mt Bromo as my camera was ruined by the incredibly fine volcanic sand from Bromo that gets everywhere. I remember sitting on the rim, waiting for the sunrise & being very upset that my camera was not working. Thankfully, Anton was there are reminded me to observe the incredible scene unfolding in front of me rather than concentrate on the broken camera.
Good man.
Here is a picture of Mount Bromo.
And here is a picture of some Enak Eco products
Here is a recipe for gado gado dressing. The same sauce is used for satay.
Sambal kacang (Peanut sauce )
This is the best-known, most popular sauce for satay. It is also used for gado-gado, and goes well with any grilled meat.
If you like your satay sauce chilli-hot, there are several quite passable powdered instant sauces on the market. For making it yourself, there are various so-called short cuts, most of them involving crunchy peanut butter. Avoid these; the method described below is as easy, cheaper and much nicer.
Makes about 280 ml / 1/2 pint / 1-1/4 cups of sauce
112 ml / 4 fl oz / 1/2 cup vegetable oil
225 g / 8 oz / 1-1/3 cups raw peanuts
2 cloves garlic, chopped
4 shallots, chopped
A thin slice of shrimp paste (optional)
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp brown sugar
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
450 ml / 16 fl oz / 2 cups water
1 tbsp tamarind water or juice of a lemon
Stir-fry the peanuts for 4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to drain in a colander, and leave to cool. Then pound or grind the nuts into a fine powder, using a blender, coffee grinder, or pestle and mortar. Discard the oil, except for 1 tablespoonful.
Crush the garlic, shallots and shrimp paste in a mortar with a little salt, and fry in the remaining oil for 1 minute. Add the chilli powder, sugar, soy sauce and water. Bring this to the boil, then add the ground peanuts. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce becomes thick; this should take about 8-10 minutes. Add the tamarind water or lemon juice and more salt if needed.
Recipe by Sri Owen from Indonesian Regional Cooking.
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