Gado-Gado
Firm tofu, cabbage and long beans come together in this Indonesian side — 65 minutes, 6 steps, and the kind of result worth repeating. You'll find the full ingredient list (with a scaler to change the servings), 6 steps of method, substitutions, and ideas for what to serve alongside.
You'll mainly reach for oven and frying pan / skillet. At medium difficulty across 6 steps, it's manageable with a little attention. As written, it's meat-free.
What you'll need
Shopping list (11)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
🔁 Unit converter
How to make it
- Boil the eggs for about 9 minutes until hard-cooked, then cool, peel and halve them, and separately boil the potatoes whole until tender before peeling and slicing.
- Blanch the cabbage, long beans and bean sprouts separately in boiling water for 1 to 2 minutes each so they stay crisp, then refresh in cold water and drain well.
- Pan-fry the cubed tofu in a little oil over medium-high heat until golden on all sides, then drain on paper towel.
- Make the peanut sauce by grinding or blending the roasted peanuts with the garlic, chillies, palm sugar, tamarind, kecap manis and enough warm water to reach a thick but pourable consistency, adjusting salt and lime to balance the sweet, sour and savoury notes.
- Arrange the blanched vegetables, sliced cucumber, sliced potato, fried tofu and halved eggs in neat sections on a large platter or across four plates.
- Spoon the peanut sauce generously over the top or serve it alongside, then scatter with fried shallots and serve with prawn crackers.
You'll use: Oven · Frying pan / skillet · Pan · Large pot · Saucepan
Ingredient substitutions
- Eggs
- ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce (baking) · 1 tbsp ground flax + 3 tbsp water per egg
- Shallots
- ½ small onion + a little garlic
What to serve with Gado-Gado
- Ayam Goreng Chicken
- Ayam Penyet Chicken
- Bakso Beef
- Bubur Ayam Breakfast
Tips & common questions
How long does Gado-Gado take to make?
About 65 minutes from start to finish — an estimate based on the 6 steps and 14 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
What can I use instead of eggs?
Try ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce (baking). See the substitutions section above for more swaps.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes — use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
Is Gado-Gado vegetarian?
Its ingredients contain no meat or fish, so it's suitable for vegetarians. Check any cheeses for animal rennet if that matters to you.
Related recipes
Gado-Gado is an original Indonesian recipe developed in-house by Consomee. Photo: Gado Gado PTG Gourmet IITMandi Nov17 D72 3256.jpg by Timothy A. Gonsalves, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons. We add the serving scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure on top — how we source recipes.