Skip to content

Vegetarian, South and Southeast Asian

Gado gado, warm vegetable salad with peanut sauce

Gado gado is a warm Indonesian salad of vegetables, potatoes, tofu, tempeh and hard boiled eggs, topped with peanut sauce. For 4 people, it takes 40 minutes, it's very easy, and costs €2.70 per person. The key is cooking each vegetable separately and adding the sauce just before serving.

Tonight, Indonesian gado gado, a big plate of warm vegetables, potatoes, tofu, tempeh and hard boiled eggs, topped with peanut sauce.

Gado gado, warm vegetable salad with peanut sauce
Total time
40 min
Difficulty
Very easy
Cost per person
€2.70
Calories per person
650 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach
Season
Spring, Summer
The kids
They generally like it

Gado gado plays on contrast, the crunch of lightly blanched vegetables against the softness of potatoes, golden tofu and hard boiled eggs. The warm peanut sauce, scented with garlic, chili and lime, coats every bite without weighing it down. It's a generous dish you can eat with a fork, no fuss involved.

It works well on a weeknight when you want a full meatless meal, or on a Sunday when everyone picks what they like best. Kids usually enjoy dipping vegetables into the sauce, and you can adjust the chili to suit different tastes. Mon Chou built this version so every element cooks in the same pot of water.

The ingredients

4 people

Fruits and vegetables

  • Potatoes 500 g
  • Green beans 200 g
  • White cabbage 200 g
  • Bean sprouts 150 g
  • Cucumber 1
  • Lime 1
  • Garlic 1 clove
  • Chili pepper 1

Dairy

  • Eggs 4
  • Firm tofu 250 g
  • Tempeh 150 g

Pantry

  • Peanut butter 5 tbsp
  • Coconut milkoften in the pantry 15 cl
  • Sweet soy sauceoften in the pantry 2 tbsp
  • Neutral oiloften in the pantry 3 tbsp
  • Saltoften in the pantry 1 pinch
  • Pepperoften in the pantry 1 pinch

Allergens Peanuts, Soy, Eggs

The step by step recipe

  1. Hard boil the eggs for ten minutes, then cook the potatoes in salted water, and peel and shell both. 20 min

    Choose firm fleshed potatoes, they won't fall apart.

  2. In the same water, blanch the green beans, then the cabbage, then the bean sprouts, a few minutes each. 8 min

    Plunge them into ice water right after, to lock in their color.

  3. Brown the diced tofu and tempeh in oil until crisp. 8 min

    Pat them dry well first, they brown better.

  4. Gently warm the peanut butter with the coconut milk, crushed garlic and chili, sweet soy sauce and lime, with a little water, until you get a smooth sauce. 5 min

    Adjust the consistency with warm water, the sauce should coat without being pasty.

  5. Arrange the vegetables, potatoes, quartered eggs, tofu and tempeh on a plate and top with the warm sauce.

    Pour the sauce at the last moment, the vegetables stay fresher that way.

Our tips to get it right

  • Make the peanut sauce last, right before plating, since it thickens quickly as it cools.
  • Cut all the vegetables and tofu to roughly the same size, it makes plating neater and easier to eat.
  • If you don't have tempeh, just double the tofu and keep the rest of the recipe as is.

The variations

  • Swap the tempeh for crushed roasted peanuts as a topping, for a quicker version.
  • For a version without tofu or tempeh, add more potatoes and eggs, the dish stays balanced.
  • For kids, serve the sauce on the side in a small bowl, they often like to pour it themselves.

What to serve it with

  • Steamed white rice
  • Shrimp crackers
  • Unsweetened iced tea

Storage

Keep the vegetables, tofu and sauce separately in the fridge, in sealed containers, for up to two days. Warm the sauce gently with a splash of water before serving, and serve the vegetables warm or cold, without recooking them.

Questions about this dish

Can you make gado gado ahead of time?

Yes, you can cook the vegetables, potatoes and eggs the day before and keep them chilled. Make the peanut sauce at the last minute and warm it slightly before plating.

Can you substitute the peanut butter?

You can use unsweetened peanut paste, the result will be similar. Avoid very sweet versions, they throw off the balance of the sauce.

Does gado gado freeze well?

The peanut sauce freezes well in a small sealed container. The vegetables and potatoes lose their texture once thawed, so it's better to prepare them fresh.

How do you tone down the chili for kids?

Remove the seeds from the chili or use less in the sauce. You can also serve a bit of chili on the side for adults who like more heat.

How long does it take to make a gado gado, a warm Indonesian vegetable salad with peanut sauce?

Count 40 min in total, prep and cooking included. The recipe is rated “very easy”.

How many calories are in a gado gado, a warm Indonesian vegetable salad with peanut sauce?

About 650 kcal per serving, for a recipe meant for 4 people. Calories are calculated by Kiloach, your weight coach, the app that partners with Mon Chou.

How much does a gado gado, a warm Indonesian vegetable salad with peanut sauce cost?

About €2.70 per serving, or €10.80 for 4 people, based on average supermarket prices.

What allergens does this recipe contain?

This recipe contains peanuts, soy, eggs. Always check the labels of the products you buy.

South and Southeast Asian Cuisines

See all

Recipes with green beans

See all