The Recipe · No.721 · Gado-Gado

Gado-Gado, and Where to Source It

Name: Gado-Gado
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Indonesian
Ingredients: Peanuts (1.5 cups); Tempeh and tofu (1 block each); Mixed vegetables (5 cups); Tamarind (1 tbsp); Eggs (4)

The dish lives on the sauce, and a real peanut sauce starts from actual roasted peanuts ground with chili, garlic, and tamarind, loosened with a little water to a thick, pourable coat. The jarred peanut butter shortcut goes flat and sweet; grinding your own gives it the roasted, savory edge that makes gado-gado.

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Published July 2026 · Sourcing verified 5 Jul 2026

Prep25 min

Cook15 min

Makes4 servings

CuisineIndonesian

Part One

The Ingredients — and where to get them

Peanuts

Roasted and ground into the sauce; the base of the whole dish. Fresh peanuts fry up sweeter.

1.5 cups

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Tempeh and tofu

Both fried golden for protein and chew. Fresh craft tempeh has a nuttier bite.

1 block each

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Mixed vegetables

Long beans, cabbage, bean sprouts, and potato, blanched crisp-tender. Fresh, bought local.

5 cups

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Tamarind

The sour note that balances the peanut sauce. A block of pulp beats bottled concentrate.

1 tbsp

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Eggs

Hard-boiled and halved over the top. Deep-gold pasture yolks look and taste best.

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One list, with a link to where to buy each one.

Part Two

The Method

Make the sauceGrind roasted peanuts with chili, garlic, tamarind, and a little sugar, then loosen with water to a thick coat.
Fry the proteinFry the tofu and tempeh until golden and crisp, then cut into pieces.
Blanch the vegetablesBlanch the sturdier vegetables crisp-tender and keep the tender ones raw.
Plate and pourArrange everything with the egg and fried protein, pour the peanut sauce over, and top with fried shallots and crackers.

Part Three

The Toolkit

Mortar · Skillet · Steamer

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