Gado gado

We’re still exploring Indonesian food from the book The Indonesian Kitchen: Recipes and Stories by Sri Owen, the book of the month of April at 2 Takes.



This time, I tried a classic recipe from the area according to my reading, the Gado Gado. It is a plate of fresh or steamed veggies with a generous helping of peanut sauce on top.



The original recipe suggests a particular assortment of veggies but insists that everything is possible based on the imagination of the cook, so it’s really the sauce recipe that counts here. I had on our plates: broccoli, potatoes, red pepper, arugula, bean sprouts, sugar peas and bok choy, omitting the hard-boiled eggs, cauliflower, carrots and cabbage of the original recipe. All my veggies were from the organic stand at the market this morning.

The peanut sauce was incredible. I spent a lot of time and effort again with my mortar and pestle, first with raw peanuts that had been stir-fried in our wok, then with shallots and garlic, and then I returned everything to the wok with sugar, soy sauce, water and chili powder, before simmering for 10 minutes while keeping an eye on Mojo who really wants to jump the fence as soon as we leave him outside.

Result: with fresh veggies, this vegetable plate with a peanut sauce is full of vitamins and makes a delicious meal adaptable with the seasons. We topped it off with a slice of cherry pie from the organic baker from the market... I can’t even begin to describe the cherry pie. Those who come to Groningen will have the honor to try the cherry pie, so you better plan a trip. There is also the cheese store... No, I better not even mention the cheese store.