Gado-gado

27 languages
 Article
 Talk
 Read
 Edit
 View history

Tools


















From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the restaurant in the US, see Gado Gado (restaurant). For the Polish instant
messaging service, see Gadu-Gadu.
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve
this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be
challenged and removed.
Find sources: "Gado-gado" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (May
2015) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

Gado-gado
 Gado gado is vegetables mixed together with peanut sauce

Course Main course

Place of origin Indonesia[1]

Region or state Jakarta[2]

Associated cuisine Indonesia

Serving Room temperature

temperature

Main ingredients Various vegetables in peanut sauce topped

with krupuk

Variations Karedok, a raw vegetable version of Gado-

gado

 Cookbook: Gado-gado

 Media: Gado-gado
 This article is part of the series on

Indonesian cuisine
Masakan Indonesia

show

National dishes

show

Regional and cultural cuisines

show

Ingredients

show

Types of food

show

Preparation and cooking

show
 Styles

show

Holidays and festivals

show

Related cuisines

show

See also

Indonesia portal
Food portal

 v
 t
 e

Gado-gado (Indonesian or Betawi) is an Indonesian salad[1] of raw,

slightly boiled, blanched or steamed vegetables and hard-boiled eggs, boiled potato,
fried tofu and tempeh, and lontong (rice wrapped in a banana leaf), served with
a peanut sauce dressing.[3][1][4]
In 2018, gado-gado was promoted as one of five national dishes of Indonesia; the
others are soto, sate, nasi goreng, and rendang.[5]
Etymology[edit]
The term gado or the verb menggado means to consume something without rice. In
Indonesian Betawi, digado or menggado[6] means to eat side dishes (fish, meat, etc.)
without rice. Gado-gado is made up of a rich mixture of vegetables
including potatoes, longbeans, bean sprouts, spinach, chayote, bitter
gourd, corn and cabbage, with tofu, tempeh and hard-boiled eggs, all mixed in peanut
sauce dressing, sometimes also topped with krupuk and sprinkles of
fried shallots. Gado-gado is different from Sundanese lotek atah or karedok which uses
raw vegetables. Another similar dish is the Javanese pecel.
Region[edit]
Gado-gado is widely sold in almost every part of Indonesia, with each area having its
own modifications.[1] It is thought to have originally been a Sundanese dish, as it is most
prevalent in Western parts of Java (which includes Jakarta, Banten, and West
Java provinces). The Javanese have their own slightly similar version of a vegetables-
in-peanut-sauce dish called pecel which is more prevalent in Central and East
Java. Gado-gado is widely available at hawkers' carts, stalls (warung) and restaurants
and hotels throughout Indonesia; it is also served in Indonesian-style restaurants
worldwide. Though it is customarily called a salad, the peanut sauce is a larger
component of gado-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 as cashew nuts. In Jakarta, several eating establishments
boast gado-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,[7] while Gado-Gado Bonbin in Cikini has
been around since 1960.[8]
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 of chili 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 with satay sauce, which is also a peanut sauce.
History[edit]
The history of this Indonesian culinary dish does not have a fixed historical background.
Rather, there are several different theories and beliefs as to how gado-gado became an
Indonesian culinary dish. The different theories and beliefs are written below:
Indonesian word "digado"[edit]
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, Betawi. In the Betawi language, the word means “to not be eaten
with rice”, which is why rice is not included as one of the key ingredients of gado-gado.
Rather, a substitute of rice is used, which is known as lontong, otherwise known as
Indonesian rice cake.[9]
Tugu Village[edit]
Another theory is that gado-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 the Portuguese
culture, the dish gado-gado was first introduced to Indonesia.[9]
Chinese Origin[edit]
There are also some who claim that gado-gado originated from the Chinese
people living in Betawi. Some claim that the Chinese people really enjoyed the
Javanese pecel, which is an Indonesian salad, and wanted to modify the dish to better
accommodate their taste. As a result, the dish gado-gado was created.[9]
Variations[edit]
Gado-gado Betawi[edit]
This variation of gado-gado originates from Betawi in Jakarta and is known for being
prepared differently as compared to the other variations.[10]
Gado-gado Padang[edit]
Unlike gado-gado sederhana, gado-gado Padang adds yellow noodles and sohun,
which are cellophane noodles, to the gado-gado dish.[10] This variation of gado-
gado originated from Padang in West Sumatra.[10] It is also known to have a spicy flavor.
[11]
This variation follows other common dishes in Padang, which are known for having a
spicy flavor.[11]
Gado-gado Sederhana[edit]
A translation of “gado-gado sederhana” is “simple gado-gado”. This variation is the
basic way of preparing a gado-gado dish, which is made using vegetables, bean
sprouts, lontong and peanut sauce as key ingredients.[10]
Gado-gado Sidoarjo[edit]
This variation of gado-gado originated from Sidoarjo and is created using an addition
of petis, which is a food additive added to the peanut sauce.[11]
Gado-gado Surabaya[edit]
This variation of gado-gado cooks the peanut sauce and spreads it over the dish.
[10]
Some claim that cooking the peanut sauce makes the dish last longer.[10] It uses
lettuce and tomatoes as some of the ingredients of the dish.[11] It also uses coconut milk
in the peanut sauce, which is used to make the sauce look oilier and more tasteful. [11]
Ingredients[edit]
Peanut dressing[edit]

Gado-gado stall displaying ingredients of the dish.

Most of flavours in gado-gado are acquired from the mixture of its bumbu 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:

 ground fried peanuts (kidney beans may be substituted for a richer taste)
 coconut sugar/palm sugar (substitute brown sugar if unavailable)
 chillies (according to preference and desired degree of spiciness)
 terasi (dried shrimp paste)
 salt
 tamarind juice
 lime juice
 water to dilute
The traditional method of making gado-gado is to use the cobek (pestle) and ulekan or
flat rounded stone. The dry ingredients are ground first, then the tamarind liquids are
added to achieve the desired consistency.
Vegetables[edit]

A traditional Indonesian way of making gado-gado.

The composition of the vegetable salad varies greatly, but usually comprises a mixture
of some of the following:

 blanched - shredded, chopped, or sliced green vegetables such

as cabbage, kangkung, spinach, bean sprouts, boiled young jack
fruit, chayote, string bean, green bean, bitter melon, and corn.
 sliced - boiled potatoes
 uncooked - sliced cucumber, tomato, and lettuce.
 peeled and sliced boiled eggs
 sliced - fried tofu and tempeh
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.
Garnishes and rice[edit]
In Indonesia gado-gado is commonly served mixed with
chopped lontong or ketupat (glutinous rice cake), or with steamed rice served
separately. It is nearly always served with krupuk, e.g. tapioca crackers or emping,
Indonesian style fried crackers, which are made from melinjo. A common garnish
is bawang goreng, a sprinkle of finely-chopped fried shallot.[1]
Serving[edit]
There are three common ways of serving the gado-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 why gado-gado can be
commonly found in Indonesian households. Secondly, some street vendors
and warungs in Indonesia are known to sell gado-gado. However, different cities may
serve different variations of gado-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.