Gado Gado (original Moosewood Cookbook version)
An Indonesian extravaganza: Yellow rice on a bed of spinach, topped with an assortment of delicately cut vegetables, topped with delicious peanut sauce, topped with exuberant condiments, garnished with wedges of fruit. Ant it's all quite easy — even for beginners.All the ingredients can be prepared in advance, and can be served warm or at room temperature. Have fun with this!
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
UNDERNEATH THE SAUCE:
Note: These components are all flexible. The vegetables can be cooked or raw, or some of each. The vegetables can be varied — what follows is just a suggestion. Arrange everything on a large platter or on individual plates.
- bed of fresh spinach
- 2 cups raw long-grain rice cooked in 3 cups of simmering water. until tender. Adding ½ tsp. turmeric to the rice as it cooks will turn it a lovely shade of yellow.
Assorted vegetables, such as:
- mung bean sprouts uncooked, or slightly steamed
- 2 to 3 medium carrots thinly sliced
- ½ small head each: red and green cabbage very finely shredded
- ½ lb fresh green beans lightly steamed
- small bunch broccoli cut into small spears and steamed
In addition:
- ¾ lb tofu* in small cubes
- hard-boiled eggs chopped
THE SAUCE: (for those allergic to peanuts, see in the notes below for alternatives**)
- 1 Tbsp peanut oil
- 1 cup minced onion
- 1 Tbsp freshly grated ginger
- 1½ cups good peanut butter
- 1½ to 2 cups hot water
- 2 to 3 Tbsp cider vinegar (to taste)
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp salt (or, to taste, if peanut butter is salty)
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar or honey
- 2 to 3 Tbsp lemon juice (to taste)
ON TOP OF THE SAUCE (this is the fun part)
- about 1 Tbsp peanut oil
- 1 inch knob of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced into tiny thin strips with your sharpest paring knife (or use crystalized ginger)
- 1 cup very, very finely minced onion
- 10 to 12 medium cloves garlic, minced or thinly sliced
- crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
Optional garnishes:
- squeezable wedges of lemon or lime
- apple and/or orange slices
- small wedges of fresh pineapple
Instructions
THE SAUCE:
- Heat the oil in a medium-sized saucepan. Add onion and ginger, and sauté over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, or until the onion is very soft.
- Add remaining ingredients and whisk until smooth. Simmer over very low heat for about 15 minutes. Taste to adjust seasonings. Set aside until serving time.
- Serve at any temperature.
ON TOP OF THE SAUCE:
- Heat 1 tsp of the oil in a small frying pan. Sauté the ginger over medium heat for a minute or two, then transfer to a small bowl. Repeat with the onion and garlic, sautéing each in about 1 tsp of oil for about 5 minutes (onion); just a minute or two (garlic). Place each in a separate small bowl, and set aside.
TO SERVE:
- Drizzle the sauce over the vegetables and rice. Arrange all of these toppings (or just toss them randomly) on top. Garnish with slices of fruit.
- Serve your eager and appreciative guests!
Notes
*For the Tofu, you could use this Easy Baked Tofu recipe.
**Here’s an alternative recipe that uses an Almond Satay sauce; here’s a nut-free, soy-free Gado Gado sauce.
