Vegan gado gado with tofu and peanut dressing

What is gado gado?

Gado gado is a traditional Indonesian salad. It often contains potatoes and green beans and might also include hard boiled eggs.

Translated, gado gado means "mix mix" and it’s a very versatile salad.

Use what you have and don’t be afraid to change things around.

But what makes gado gado really amazing is the peanut sauce. 

If the sound of some boiled potatoes and tofu for dinner doesn’t fill you with excitement just wait until you’ve tried it with this peanut sauce. It’s amazing!

Gado gado sauce

The sauce for gado gado is often spicy.

I prefer mine without the chilli - I'm usually serving it to kids - and have made a simple version that contains:

• peanut butter (sugar and salt free is best)
• coconut milk
• lime juice
• soy sauce.

If you have kecap manis* (Indonesian sweet soy sauce) you can use this instead of the soy sauce.

Tofu preparation

Gado gado can be served with any kind of tofu you prefer. Tempeh is also good.

If you have pre-fried or cooked tofu feel free to use that instead. 

If you’re preparing your own this is how I do mine. You’ll need a 400g pack of firm tofu.

• Drain the tofu and press with a tofu press* or by using kitchen towel and a heavy book or pan to drain some of the water out. You’ll get a much better texture this way. Leave it for 20-30 minutes if you have time.
• Pre-heat the oven to 200°C (fan)/200°C/gas mark 7.
• Once pressed cut the tofu into chunks and place into a roasting tin.
• Drizzle with sunflower oil, soy sauce and maple syrup and mix well.
• Roast for 20 minutes then turn over and return to the oven for a further 20 minutes or until turning crispy on the outside.

Serving suggestions

Gado gado is a complete meal on its own. However, I do sometimes serve it with other dishes to make more of a feast, for example:

• Singapore noodles
• Veggie fried rice
• Thai basil fried rice

Ingredients

For full recipe including ingredients list, quantities and method please see the recipe card at the bottom of the page.

To make gado gado you’ll need the following ingredients:

• Firm tofu
• Sunflower oil
• Soy sauce
• Maple syrup
• Potatoes
• Green beans
• Beansprouts
• Fresh coriander
• Cucumber
• Peanut butter
• One lime
• Coconut milk
• Soy sauce

Equipment

If you have a tofu press* you can use that to press your tofu but it isn’t essential.

Otherwise you will need:

• peeler*
• chopping board*
• sharp knife*
• saucepan*
• large salad bowl*

More vegan salad recipes

If you like this gado gado you might also like:

• Summer cous cous
• Fennel and orange salad
• Rainbow salad
• Kale and sweet potato salad
• Shredded cabbage salad

How to make vegan gado gado

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Vegan gado gado with tofu and peanut dressing

Try this vegan take on the traditional Indonesian salad, gado gado. It’s made with tofu, potatoes, green beans, cucumber and bean sprouts and a delicious, zingy peanut sauce.

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Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 40 mins

Tofu pressing time 30 mins

Total Time 1 hr 25 mins

Course Salad

Cuisine Asian, Vegan

Servings 4 people

Calories 392 kcal

Ingredients

 

MetricUS customary

 

1x2x3x

For the tofu

• 400 g firm tofu drained
• 1 tablespoon sunflower oil
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup

For the peanut dressing

• 50 g peanut butter
• Juice one lime
• 100 ml coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce

For the salad

• 500 g potatoes
• 250 g green beans
• 200 g beansprouts
• ½ cucumber or one small one
• Fresh coriander

Instructions

 

To make the tofu

• First press the tofu with a tofu press* or by using kitchen towel and a heavy book.
• Pre-heat the oven to 200°C (fan)/200°C/gas mark 7.
• Once pressed cut into bite-sized chunks and transfer to a roasting tin.
• Drizzle with 1 tablespoon sunflower oil, 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 1 tablespoon maple syrup.
• Mix well.
• Roast for 20 minutes then turn each piece over and return to the oven for a further 20 minutes or until turning crispy on the outside.

To make the peanut sauce

• Place 50g peanut butter into a bowl with the juice of a lime, 100ml coconut milk and 1 tablespoon soy sauce. Mix well with a fork and set aside.

To make the salad

• Wash and peel* your potatoes and cut into bite-sized pieces. Place in a large pan of cold water, add a little salt and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until soft. Drain and set aside.
• Top and tail your green beans. Bring a pan of water to the boil, add the prepared green beans and cook for 2 minutes. Drain and place in a bowl of cold, iced water - this will help them to retain their vibrant green colour.
• Cut your cucumber into half moons.
• Place the potatoes, green beans, beansprouts, cucumber and cooked tofu onto a large serving dish. Sprinkle over some coriander leaves and serve with the peanut sauce

Notes

1. You can leave the peel on if you prefer.
2. Nutritional information is approximate and is intended as a guide only.

Nutrition

Calories: 392kcalCarbohydrates: 39gProtein: 19gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 7gSodium: 583mgPotassium: 950mgFiber: 7gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 458IUVitamin C: 40mgCalcium: 190mgIron: 5mg

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