Gado Gado - food waste series for Autour de Toi
Gado gado is an Indonesian dish and the name means ‘mix-mix’. It’s basically a mix-ture of raw and cooked vegetables served with a peanut sauce and optional extras such as soft boiled eggs and fried tofu. Prawn crackers are often served alongside.
The fact that it is at heart a warm salad, means that it is infinitely variable and is a great way to use up the vegetables you have to use up. Over the years I have used lightly steamed courgettes, carrots, cabbage, cauliflower, potatoes and raw sweet red pepper, beansprouts, mushrooms, cucumber, tomatoes…. you really can use any! I haven’t given any quantities - be guided by the number of people you have to serve and their appetites.
There are so many different recipes for the peanut sauce - some raw, some cooked, some made with peanut butter and some with whole peanuts. As with most cooking from South East Asia you need to balance sweet, salty, spicy and sour.
Use this very simple recipe, based on one by Jamie Oliver, as a base. Feel free to amp up the spice if you like it spicy! I know many people don’t like handling fresh chilli so that is why I have used sweet chilli sauce as a substitute for brown sugar and fresh chilli - as it’s something that many people will have already at home - but you can use the more usual sugar and chilli if you have a small birds eye chilli to hand. The sauce lasts for a week in the fridge and can also be frozen.
Lastly it is worth pointing out that this is a vegetarian, gluten free (if you use gluten free tamari instead of soy sauce), dairy free dish, with the option of being vegan if the eggs aren’t included. For the die-hard carnivores you could serve some poached, shredded chicken alongside. All in all, a dish worth having in your anti-food waste repertoire!
Peanut sauce
1 small clove garlic, crushed,
2-3 tbsp sweet chilli sauce *
120g peanut butter (smooth or crunchy) **
2 limes, juiced
2 tbsp soy sauce
water or coconut milk to thin
an assortment of vegetables to cook
carrots, peeled and cut in chunks on the diagonal
courgettes, cut in chunks on the diagonal
cauliflower, separated into florets
small potatoes, peeled and halved
or green cabbage, shredded
some more vegetables to serve raw
beansprouts, washed and drained,
tomatoes, cut into wedges
red pepper, cut into strips
cucumber, washed, peeled and cut into chunks on the diagonal
to serve:
soft boiled eggs
prawn crackers (optional)
firm tofu, cut into cubes and fried in a little oil until crispy (optional)
- Combine all the sauce ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust saltiness with soya sauce, and the spiciness and sweetness with the chosen chilli and sweetener.
- Add a little coconut milk or water to thin if the sauce is too thick.
- Steam the vegetables you’d like cooked, retaining a slight crunch.
- Place the vegetables, raw and cooked, in a serving dish.
- Serve the eggs , prawn crackers and tofu alongside.
- Drizzle the salad with the peanut sauce and serve with the eggs, tofu and crackers.
- or use 2 tbsp soft brown sugar or 2 tbsp maple syrup to sweeten, plus some chopped fresh red chilli to taste, or even a pinch of chilli flakes ** you can also use roasted peanuts (unsalted or with the salt rinsed off) blended to a butter in a food processor Visit my blog ➡️ http://www.biencuitglutenfree.com