Gado-gado (Indonesian Salad with Peanut Sauce)

Ingredients

• 1 g terasi (fermented prawn paste)
• Vegetable oil
• 300 g peanuts
• Fresh or dried chile pepper
• 1 clove garlic
• Salt
• 125 g gula jawa (Indonesian palm sugar)
• 4 shallots
• Sugar
• Fresh lime juice or rice vinegar
• Hard-boiled eggs, sliced
• Whole potatoes, steamed or boiled
• Mixed vegetables (e.g. cabbage, bean sprouts, cucumber, chayote, water spinach, asparagus bean, spinach)
• Deep fried soybean cake
• Deep fried tempeh
• Deep fried kerupuk (fish or prawn crackers)
• Deep fried shallot

Method

1. Fry prawn paste with vegetable oil until fragrant.
2. Fry the peanuts until golden brown. Remove from the pan and leave to cool, then drain off all but a little of the excess oil.
3. Grind the peanuts to a paste.
4. Add ground chili pepper, garlic, salt, sugar, and prawn paste to the peanut paste. Grind to mix.
5. Put peanut paste in a pan, add some water to dissolve (use coconut milk for a richer taste).
6. Add additional sugar into the peanut sauce to taste, and bring to the boil.
7. Simmer peanut sauce until thick, and season with the lime juice or vinegar.
8. Remove the skin from the boiled potatoes. Deep fry the potatoes until golden brown, then slice.
9. Wash, shred, or chop cabbage, spinach, and water spinach.
10. Boil water in a pan. Add cabbage, and cook until tender. Drain.
11. Use strained boiling water to boil the spinach and water spinach, one after another. Drain.
12. Blanch bean sprouts for about 30 seconds. Drain.
13. Peel chayote, wash, slice, and boil until tender.
14. Wash and slice cucumber.
15. Place the salad, sliced potatoes, fried tofu, fried tempeh, and eggs in a large plate, either randomly or in layers.
16. Pour the peanut sauce over the salad.
17. Spread deep fried shallots on top, and serve with kerupuk.