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 Gado gado is vegetables mixed together with peanut sauce | |
| Course | Main course |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Indonesia[1] |
| Region or state | Jakarta[2] |
| Associatedcuisine | Indonesia |
| Serving temperature | Room temperature |
| Main ingredients | Variousvegetables inpeanut sauce topped withkrupuk |
| Variations | Karedok, a raw vegetable version ofGado-gado |
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| This article is part of the series on |
| Indonesian cuisine Masakan Indonesia |
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Gado-gado (Indonesian orBetawi) is anIndonesiansalad[1] of raw, slightlyboiled,blanched orsteamedvegetables andhard-boiled eggs, boiled potato, friedtofu andtempeh, and slicedlontong (compressed cylinder rice cake wrapped in a banana leaf),[3] served with apeanut sauce dressing.[4][1][5]
In 2018,gado-gado was promoted as one of fivenational dishes of Indonesia; the others aresoto,sate,nasi goreng, andrendang.[6]
The termgado or the verbmenggado means to consume something without rice. In Indonesian Betawi,digado ormenggado[7] means to eat a certain dish (be it fish, meat, chicken, etc.) without rice.Gado-gado is made up of a rich mixture of vegetables, includingpotatoes,longbeans,bean sprouts,spinach,chayote,bitter gourd,corn andcabbage, along withtofu,tempeh, and hard-boiled eggs. They are all mixed in peanut sauce dressing, sometimes also topped withkrupuk and sprinkles of friedshallots.Gado-gado is different from Sundaneselotek atah orkaredok as the latter uses only raw vegetables. Another similar dish is the Javanesepecel.
Gado-gado is widely sold in almost every part ofIndonesia, each with its own regional variations.[1] It is thought to have originally been aSundanese dish, as it is most prevalent in Western parts ofJava (which includesJakarta,Banten, andWest Java provinces). TheJavanese have their own slightly similar version of a vegetables-in-peanut-sauce dish calledpecel which is more prevalent in Central and East Java.Gado-gado is widely available at hawkers' carts, stalls (warung) and restaurants and hotels throughoutIndonesia; it is also served in Indonesian-style restaurants worldwide. Though it is customarily called a salad, the peanut sauce is a larger component ofgado-gado than is usual for the dressings in Western-style salads; the vegetables should be well coated with it.
Some eating establishments use different mixtures of peanut sauce, or add other ingredients for taste such ascashew nuts. In Jakarta, several eating establishments boastgado-gado as their signature dish, some of which have been in business for decades and have developed faithful clientele. For example, Gado-Gado Boplo restaurant chain has been around since 1970,[8] while Gado-Gado Bonbin in Cikini has been around since 1960.[9]
The peanut sauce is made of ground fried peanuts, sweet palm sugar, garlic, chilies, salt, tamarind, and a squeeze of lime.[1]Gado-gado is generally freshly made, sometimes in front of the customers to suit their preferred degree of spiciness, which corresponds to the amount ofchili pepper included. However, particularly in the West,gado-gado sauce is often prepared ahead of time and in bulk.Gado-gado sauce is also available in dried form, which is simply rehydrated by adding hot water.
Gado-gado sauce is not to be confused withsatay sauce, which is also a peanut sauce.
The history of this Indonesian culinary dish does not have a fixed historical background. Rather, there are several different theories and beliefs as to howgado-gado became an Indonesian culinary dish. The different theories and beliefs are written below:
Gado-gado comes from the Indonesian word"digado". However, the word"digado" does not exist in the Indonesian dictionary. The word"digado" originates from a specific Indonesian culture,Java. In theBetawi language, the word means “to not be eaten with rice”, which is why rice is not included as one of the key ingredients ofgado-gado. Rather, a substitute of rice is used, which is known aslontong, otherwise known as Indonesian rice cake.[10]
Another theory is thatgado-gado originated from the Tugu village. In the early 1700s, when the Europeans arrived in Indonesia, a number of Portuguese people started a village currently known as the Tugu village. It is said that these Portuguese people brought their local cuisine to Indonesia. Through the introduction of thePortuguese culture, the dishgado-gado was first introduced to Indonesia.[10]
There are also some who claim thatgado-gado originated from theChinese people living inBetawi. Some claim that the Chinese people really enjoyed the Javanesepecel, which is an Indonesian salad, and wanted to modify the dish to better accommodate their taste. As a result, the dishgado-gado was created.[10]
This variation ofgado-gado originates fromBetawi in Jakarta and is known for being prepared differently as compared to the other variations.[11] Based on a recipe book "Resep Gado-Gado Betawi" by Sasongko Iswandaru[1], the dish consists of boiled vegetables, including long bean, bean sprout and cabbage, mixed with fried tofu, tempeh and boiled egg, served with peanut sauce.
Unlikegado-gado sederhana,gado-gadoPadang adds yellow noodles andsohun, which are cellophane noodles, to thegado-gado dish.[11] This variation ofgado-gado originated fromPadang inWest Sumatra.[11] It is also known to have a spicy flavor.[12] This variation follows other common dishes inPadang, which are known for having a spicy flavor.[12]
A translation of “gado-gado sederhana” is “simplegado-gado”. This variation is the basic way of preparing agado-gado dish, which is made using vegetables, bean sprouts,lontong and peanut sauce as key ingredients.[11]
This variation ofgado-gado originated fromSidoarjo and is created using an addition ofpetis, which is a food additive added to the peanut sauce.[12]
This variation ofgado-gado cooks the peanut sauce and spreads it over the dish.[11] Some claim that cooking the peanut sauce makes the dish last longer.[11] It uses lettuce and tomatoes as some of the ingredients of the dish.[12] It also uses coconut milk in the peanut sauce, which is used to make the sauce look oilier and more tasteful.[12]
Most of flavours ingado-gado are acquired from the mixture of itsbumbu kacang or peanut salad dressing.Gado-gado combines slightly sweet, spicy and savory tastes.[1] The common primary ingredients of the peanut sauce are as follows:
The traditional method of makinggado-gado is to use thecobek (pestle) andulekan or flat rounded stone. The dry ingredients are ground first, then the tamarind liquids are added to achieve the desired consistency.
The composition of the vegetable salad varies greatly, but usually comprises a mixture of some of the following:
Outside Indonesia, it is usual to improvise with whatever vegetables are available.All the ingredients are blanched or lightly boiled, including vegetables, potatoes and bean sprouts, except for the tempeh and tofu, which are fried, and cucumber which is sliced and served fresh.[1] The blanched vegetables and other ingredients are mixed well with the dressing.
In Indonesiagado-gado is commonly served mixed with choppedlontong orketupat (glutinous rice cake), or withsteamed rice served separately. It is nearly always served withkrupuk,tapioca crackers, oremping, Indonesian-style fried crackers made frommelinjo. A common garnish isbawang goreng, a sprinkle of finely-chopped friedshallot.[1]
There are three common ways of serving thegado-gado dish in Indonesia. Firstly,gado-gado is sometimes prepared at home as a traditional Indonesian dish. It is relatively easy to prepare and cook, which is part of the reason whygado-gado can be commonly found in Indonesian households. Secondly, some street vendors andwarungs in Indonesia are known to sellgado-gado. However, different cities may serve different variations ofgado-gado depending on the region. Thirdly,gado-gado can also be found in restaurants that serve Indonesian cuisine. Amongst many Indonesian restaurants,gado-gado is a relatively common dish, because it is popular in Indonesia.
| Salads |
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| Bread salads | |
| Dessert salads | |
| Fish salads | |
| Fruit salads | |
| Noodle salads | |
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