Let me introduce to you the famous Indonesian gado-gado salad. Some of you may be thinking ‘isn’t it a bit too cold for a salad?’ Well, depends on the salad and where you live, of course.
Despite it being the second half of November, Greece has been pulling beautifully still, sunny, 20º C days out of the bag this week and we are in heaven. However, if your local weather pattern hasn’t been that kind to you, you can always treat this recipe as a stir-fry and serve it warm with lashings of spicy peanut sauce on top. Traditionally, Indonesian gado-gado salad is often served with a hard-boiled egg, which I subbed for some vermicelli noodles to make it a bit more substantial. The beauty of this salad is that it isn’t at all fussy. In fact, its ingredients vary enormously from place to place and season to season as the idea is to simply use what is available at any given time. I had it quite few times during my time in Bali and no two versions were identical. I like the seasonality and versatility of it, plus it holds a special place in my heart as it reminds me of my amazing Bali holiday, which I am dying to repeat. Sadly, no holidays on the cards anytime soon so having a plate of colourful Indonesian salad on my terrace, in the autumn sun will have to suffice for now. Given the recent weather, I can settle for that.
4 tbsp tamari (for GF version) or soy sauce 2 tbsp rice vinegar 2 tsp brown sugar 1 tsp sesame oil 1 garlic clove, minced 2 tsp grated ginger
PEANUT SAUCE
125 g / ½ cup crunchy 100% natural peanut butter** ¼ cup / 60 ml coconut milk approx. ¼ cup / 60 ml water 1 tbsp tamari (for GF version) or soy sauce ½ tsp ground turmeric ½-¾ tsp hot ground chilli 1 garlic clove, minced 2 tsp grated ginger 1 tsp maple syrup or sugar 1½ tbsp tamarind purée (or lime juice)
