How to make 'Gado-Gado' (Indonesian salad with peanut sauce)

Gado-Gado
Said to have originated in Western Java, gado gado is one of Indonesia’s most popular dishes. It can be found anywhere from street hawker stands, food stalls, warungs, restaurants, and hotels. Literally translated as “mix mix”, gado-gado is a traditional Indonesian salad made with blanched vegetables, tofu, tempeh, eggs, and pecel (peanut sauce). There is no doubt that the star of the dish is the pecel. You can substitute the vegetables with what you have available, but the pecel is what makes a gado-gado.

Ingredients:

Salad
Bean sprouts
Cabbage cut in to wedges
Tofu cut into cubes
Tempeh cut into cubes
Carrots cut into batons
Long beans cut into matchsticks
Japanese papaya leaves
Bitter gourd thinly sliced
Potatoes cut into cubes
Tofu and cut in to cubes
Tempeh cut in to cubes

Blanch all ingredients above in salted water until lightly cooked. When the vegetables are reach this stage, immediately place them in an ice water bath to stop the cooking process and ensure the vegetables retain their crunch and vibrant colors. After they have cooled down, drain and set aside. You can you any blanched vegetables you like.

Garnish
Crispy fried shallots
Boiled egg wedges
Emping melinjo

Pecel (peanut sauce)
1 Tbsp sliced aromatic ginger
2 Tbsp thinly sliced red chillis
2 Tbsp sliced garlic
1 Tbsp sliced ginger
1 Small hot chilli
1 Cup fried peanuts with skins
1½ Cup water
1 tsp palm sugar
1 tsp finely chopped kaffir lime leaves
2½ Tbsp Kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)
1 tsp salt

Fry the ginger, red and hot chillis, garlic, and shallots over medium heat until tender and caramelized. Once done, place the spices on a motar and pestle and add the peanuts. Grind these together until you get a rough paste like consistency.

Add ½ cup water to the mortar and pestle to make a smoother paste. When you get a smooth paste, transfer the mixture to a sauce pan and add another cup of water. Mix thoroughly until you get the paste incorporated with the water. Add the kecap manis, and stir until mixed thoroughly. Bring the sauce to a boil and then reduce to medium heat and simmer for 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Once sauce has thickened, remove from the heat and let cool.

Arrange the blanched vegetables on a plate with the tofu, tempeh, and boiled egg wedges. Top with the pecel (peanut sauce) and garnish with crispy fried shallots and fresh slices of tomatoes.