Indonesian Vegetable Salad with Spicy Peanut Sauce (Gado Gado)
Kitchen Tested 
- Yield 4 servings
Fresh vegetables take a quick dip in boiling water and are then served with a creamy peanut sauce.
Ingredients
- Salad:
- -- Water and ice
- 1 cup (1-inch pieces) green beans
- 2 -- carrots, peeled and sliced 1/2-inch thick
- 1 large potato, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 cup shredded green cabbage
- 1 cup bean sprouts
- 1 cup diced tofu (1/2-inch cubes)
- 4 to 5 large romaine lettuce leaves
- 1 -- cucumber, peeled, halved, seeded and sliced
- 2 -- ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges
- 2 -- hard-boiled eggs, peeled and cut into wedges
- Peanut Sauce:
- 1 cup peanut butter, creamy or chunky
- 1/2 cup water or coconut milk
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon sambal oelek*
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
Instructions
- To make salad: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Have a large bowl of ice water nearby so you can shock or cool down vegetables after parboiling.
- Place green beans in boiling water for 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and place in ice water to cool and preserve their bright green color.
- Add carrots and potatoes to boiling water and cook 5 minutes until tender. Remove with a slotted spoon and place in ice water to cool.
- Place cabbage, sprouts and tofu in boiling water 20 seconds just to soften and remove with a slotted spoon to ice water.
- Drain all blanched or parboiled vegetables and tofu in a colander and set aside.
- Place romaine leaves on a large platter. Pile blanched vegetables and tofu over romaine and garnish with cucumber slices, tomato and hard-boiled egg wedges. Set aside at room temperature while you make sauce.
- To make sauce: Blend all ingredients together in a blender or a food processor until creamy. Drizzle peanut sauce over salad just before serving salad.
Note: Sambal oelek is a spicy chili paste found in Asian grocery stores. You can substitute Tabasco sauce or siraccha.
