Recipe: Gado Gado

Uses: virtually any veg either fresh or from store, plus  chillies, garlic, tomatoes

I first came across this dish as street food in Indonesia 25 years ago. It is fully vegetarian, even vegan if you omit the eggs.

Basically it consists of vegetables and rice with a spicy peanut sauce. The important thing is the sauce.

Here is the version I served to couple of friends a few days ago.

The vegetables

You can use anything in season or from store.

 I used:

sprouting broccoli

onions

runner beans

butternut squash

parsnip

bean sprouts

(I used the very last of the spring’s broccoli, some of the first bulb onions from those which had bolted, the last of the salted runner beans, and parsnip and squash from the freezer – typical hungry gap fare! )

The sauce

            1 large onion

            1 tbs chopped garlic

            ½ tbs grated ginger

3 chillies (depending on size and heat of course)

3 or 4 chopped tomatoes

Some oil (preferably peanut)

I tbs tomato puree

2 or 3 tbs soy sauce

I can coconut milk

Same volume vegetable stock

Same volume peanut butter

1 tbs sugar (if the peanut butter is unsweetened)

(I used the green shoulder of bolted onions, 3 dried chillies, and a can of tomatoes, as I had run out of toms from the freezer. I tend to work by volume, so the measures of coconut milk, tomatoes, stock and peanut butter were all about the same. 

Incidentally tomatoes are so easy to freeze. You just throw them into the freezer tray as they come - they are fruit so don't need blanching. When you want to use them, just drop them into a jug of boiling water for about 30 seconds, and the skin defrosts and slides off while the body of the tomato stays frozen!)

The rice

In Indonesia the rice is steamed and cooled into cakes and then broken onto the dish.

I just use steamed rice.

Garnish

Fried tofu and/or sliced hard-boiled egg.

Method

1.     Steam all the veg except the beansprouts

2.     Sweat the onion, garlic, ginger, and chillies in the oil for about 5 minutes.

3.     Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to the boil.

4.     Simmer and stir gently until the peanut butter has melted into the sauce – this can take some time. Leave the sauce to thicken for at least an hour.

To Serve

Mix and pile the veg onto a large serving dish. Sprinkle the bean sprouts on top. Pour over the peanut sauce and garnish with egg or tofu. (If using both, add the tofu to the veg). Serve with the steamed rice.

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