Have you tried gado gado before? It’s a delicious Indonesian salad that's served with a tasty peanut sauce. My vegan gado gado is made with tofu, potatoes, green beans, cucumber and bean sprouts.
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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. Gado gado literally translates as 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!
What is in the sauce for gado gado?
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 with peanut butter (sugar and salt free is best), coconut milk, lime juice and soy sauce. If you have kecap manis you can use this instead of the soy sauce.
How to prepare the tofu for gado gado
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.
What else could you serve with gado gado?
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:
What ingredients do you need?
For full quantities, ingredients and recipe head to the recipe card at the end of the page.
To make gado gado you’ll need the following ingredients:
- Firm tofu
- Sunflower oil
- Soy sauce
- Maple syrup
- 500g potatoes
- 250g green beans
- 200g beansprouts
- Fresh coriander
- ½ cucumber
- Peanut butter
- One lime
- Coconut milk
- Soy sauce
Do you need any special equipment?
If you have a tofu press* you can use that to press your tofu but it isn’t essential.
Otherwise you don’t need any special equipment to make gado gado.
More vegan salad recipes
- Summer cous cous
- Fennel and orange salad
- Rainbow salad
- Kale and sweet potato salad
- Shredded cabbage salad
Pin vegan gado gado for later
How to make vegan gado gado
Vegan gado gado with tofu and peanut dressing
Ingredients
For the tofu
- 400 g firm tofu drained
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
For the peanut dressing
- 50 g peanut butter
- Juice one lime
- 100 ml coconut milk
- 1 tbsp 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 tbsp sunflower oil, 1 tbsp soy sauce and 1 tbsp 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 tbsp 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
Nutrition
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