Gado-Gado Salad With Peanut Sauce

This exceptional gado-gado recipe comprises various components, including tofu, potatoes, broccoli, fried shallots, and a peanut sauce with a spice paste. Each element is simple to prepare, resulting in a visually impressive dish that will wow both friends and family.

Preparing your own kecap kanis is remarkably simple. All that is required is light soy sauce or gluten-free tamari, along with palm sugar or brown sugar. Combine the soy sauce and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Lower the heat to a minimum and maintain warmth until the mixture attains the viscosity of maple syrup. This should require no more than 5 minutes. Allow to cool prior to use. The addition significantly enhances the flavor of the peanut sauce. The sauce is prepared rapidly by utilizing a food processor.

PHOTO BY LOUISE HAGGER

Ingredients

• 60 grams fried, firm, or smoked tofu, cut into bite-sized chunks

• Kosher salt

• 150 grams baby potatoes, halved

• 100 grams tender-stem broccoli


• 100 grams green beans, trimmed


• Coconut or sunflower oil, for frying

• Flaky sea salt

• 60 grams tempeh, sliced into 3-by-1-centimeter chunks (optional, or replace with more tofu)


• store-bought or homemade kecap kanis (see headnote)

• 2 quantities of peanut sauce (recipe below)

• 1 carrot, peeled and cut into long, thin matchsticks

• 75 grams bean sprouts

• 1/2 cucumber, sliced into thin rounds


• 16 cherry tomatoes, halved


• 4 eggs, hard-boiled for 10 minutes, halved


• 2 tablespoons fried shallots, optional (recipe below)

Sambal Kacang (Peanut Sauce)

• Sunflower oil, for frying

• 75 grams unsalted, raw peanuts, preferably with their skin on (or 75 grams unsweetened, unsalted smooth peanut butter)

• 2 long red chiles, seeds removed and very finely chopped

• 1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed

• 4 teaspoons kecap manis (see headnote)

• 2 teaspoons tamarind paste (or 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice mixed with 2 teaspoons brown sugar)

• 1 pinch flaky sea salt

• Bawang Merah Goreng (Fried Shallots)

• 500 grams small banana shallots or Thai shallots, peeled and thinly sliced


• Flaky sea salt

• Sunflower oil, for deep-frying

• Rempeyek (Peanut and Makrut Lime Kerupuk)

• 125 grams rice flour

• 75 grams unsalted peanuts, coarsely chopped 


• 5 makrut lime leaves, stems removed, very thinly sliced


• Sunflower oil, for frying

• Spice Paste

• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced

• 2 candlenuts or macadamia nuts (or 4 cashews or almonds), toasted for best flavor 


• 2 teaspoons ground coriander

• 1 pinch white pepper

Instructions

1. If the tofu is moist, arrange it in a single layer on multiple layers of paper towels, then cover with more paper towels. Allow the tofu to rest for 15 minutes, applying pressure intermittently to expel any surplus moisture.

2. Heat a pan of salted water to a boil over high heat and incorporate the potatoes. Simmer for 5 to 8 minutes, or until tender when punctured with a fork. Drain and allow to cool.

3. Replenish the pan with salted water, bring to a boil, and blanch the broccoli and beans for 1 to 2 minutes, until vibrant green, crisp, and adequately cooked. Drain and allow to cool.

4. In a wok or big skillet over high heat, heat 4 tablespoons of oil with a substantial pinch of sea salt. Once the oil is shimmering, incorporate the tempeh and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes, or until it has a golden hue. Remove excess liquid on a baking sheet lined with paper towels. If you choose to grill the tempeh, apply a combination of 1 tablespoon each of oil and kecap manis, and grill over high heat for 3 to 4 minutes per side.

5. Dilute the peanut sauce with water until it attains a pourable consistency. Transfer the peanut sauce to a saucepan and gently cook over low heat until adequately warmed.

6. Distribute the potatoes, broccoli, beans, tofu, tempeh, carrot, bean sprouts, cucumber, tomatoes, and eggs into serving plates or bowls. Garnish with the fried shallots and position the crackers on one side of the platter. Present the peanut sauce in a serving bowl or jug on the side, or generously drizzle it over each plate, as is my preference. Serve without delay.

Sambal Kacang (Peanut Sauce)

1. With raw peanuts, heat 150 milliliters of oil in a deep saucepan over high heat until it reaches 160°C (325°F). If an instant-read thermometer is unavailable, ascertain the oil's temperature by introducing a cube of bread; it should get a golden hue within 25 to 30 seconds. Gently immerse the peanuts into the heated oil using a slotted spoon. Sauté the peanuts, swirling incessantly to prevent burning, for 4 to 5 minutes, until they achieve a golden hue. Utilize a slotted spoon to extract the peanuts from the skillet and place them onto a baking sheet fitted with paper towels to absorb surplus oil.

2. In a medium skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Sauté the chiles and garlic, stirring, for approximately 4 minutes, until tender.

3. Combine the fried peanuts or peanut butter with the sautéed garlic and chiles, kecap manis, tamarind paste, and salt in a small food processor. Pulse momentarily, then incorporate a little amount of water to dilute the sauce and pulse once more. Incrementally incorporate water (about 4 tablespoons) and persist in pulsing until the sauce achieves a pourable consistency. Season with salt or kecap manis as required.

4. Fried Shallots:

Combine the sliced shallots with a pinch of salt. Fill a deep saucepan one-third with oil. Heat the oil to 140 degrees Celsius. In the absence of a thermometer, ascertain the oil's temperature by introducing a cube of bread; it should get a golden hue within 40 to 45 seconds. Incorporate the shallots and, while stirring intermittently, sauté gently for 10 to 12 minutes. Once over fifty percent of the shallots get a golden hue, remove them from the burner and allow them to brown using the residual heat. Extract from the oil using a slotted spoon and arrange on a baking sheet lined with paper towels. Preserve in a hermetically sealed container at ambient temperature.

5. Store the shallot oil in an airtight container, as it is exceptionally flavorful. I prefer to mix the rice slightly before serving to enhance its flavor complexity.

6. Rempeyek (Peanut and Makrut Lime Crackers):

Combine the spice paste ingredients in a pestle and mortar and ground to a fine consistency; alternatively, using a small food processor, incorporating a minimal amount of water to facilitate the grinding process.

7. After the batter has rested, incorporate the peanuts and kaffir lime leaves.

8. Pour sufficient oil to cover the bottom of a big deep pan to a depth of approximately 1 centimeter. Heat the oil to 175 degrees Celsius. If a thermometer is unavailable, ascertain the oil's temperature by introducing a cube of bread; it should get a golden hue after 20 seconds. Deposit a dessert spoonful of the batter into the heated oil to create a thin cracker, approximately 5 cm in diameter. Continue until the quantity of crackers accommodates the pan, ensuring they remain separated to prevent adhesion. Fry the crackers until the edges are crisp, which will require a few minutes, then flip them to brown the opposite side. Minute apertures should develop within the cracker. When a uniform light golden hue is achieved, extract from the oil using a slotted spoon and allow to drain on paper towels.

9. Preserve in an airtight jar, interleaving the layers with baking paper to maintain their crispness.