Terumi Morita
May 21, 2026·Recipes·1 min read · 250 words

Gado-Gado

Gado-Gado is an Indonesian salad made with blanched vegetables layered with a peanut sauce, showcasing techniques like emulsification.

Contents（4項）▾
  1. 01Ingredients & steps
  2. 02Why this works
  3. 03Autopilot guard summary
  4. 04Terumi Brain v1 review
A wide plate filled with blanched long beans, cabbage, sprouts, potato, hard-boiled egg halves, fried tempeh, and a pool of peanut sauce.
RecipeIndonesian
Prep20m
Cook15m
Serves4 人分
LevelMedium

Ingredients

  • 200 g long beans, trimmed
  • 150 g cabbage, sliced
  • 100 g bean sprouts, rinsed
  • 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
  • 4 hard-boiled eggs, halved
  • 200 g tempeh, sliced
  • 150 ml peanut sauce
  • 4 krupuk (Indonesian crackers)
  • salt, to taste
  • water, for blanching

Steps

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. This will help season the vegetables while they cook.

  2. Blanch the long beans, cabbage, and bean sprouts in the boiling water for 2-3 minutes until bright in color and slightly tender. This step retains their nutrients and vibrant colors.

  3. Add the potato cubes to the boiling water and cook for an additional 10-12 minutes until fork-tender. Overcooking can make them mushy, so check for doneness.

  4. While the vegetables cook, heat a pan over medium heat and fry the tempeh slices until golden brown on both sides, about 4-5 minutes. This enhances their flavor and provides a crispy texture.

  5. Drain the vegetables and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain well before plating.

  6. Arrange the blanched vegetables, potato, fried tempeh, and halved eggs on a serving plate. Create a pool of peanut sauce in the center.

  7. Serve with krupuk on the side for added crunch. Enjoy your Gado-Gado!

Why this works

Gado-Gado is a beautifully composed salad that showcases a variety of textures and flavors through the technique of blanching. Blanching vegetables not only preserves their vibrant colors but also retains important nutrients. The quick cooking ensures that the vegetables remain crisp, a key element in this dish. Using salted boiling water to blanch helps to infuse flavor into the vegetables. The contrast of the creamy peanut sauce with the crunchy vegetables and the soft texture of the hard-boiled eggs and tempeh creates a well-rounded experience. If the peanut sauce seems too thick, you can thin it with a little water or coconut milk to achieve the desired consistency. Conversely, if the vegetables are overcooked, they may lose their vibrant color and crispness; to rescue this, you can quickly shock them in ice water after blanching to halt the cooking process, preserving their texture and color effectively.

Autopilot guard summary

  • truth: approved
  • quality: approved (score 100)
  • similarity: approved (score 0.078 vs goma-ae)
  • regulatory: approved
  • image: approved

Terumi Brain v1 review

  • grade: B · overall 78/100 · readiness needs_minor_edits
  • scores: chef=100 science=30 repair=95 culture=90 safety=100 taste=54 mon=60 geo=95

Suggested enhancements

  • One science term (Maillard, emulsion, denaturation, etc.) earned in context would raise the explanation.
  • Naming one or two taste axes (salt / acid / fat / umami / aroma / texture) makes the dish's structure visible.

Brain-suggested book

  • The Japanese Home-Cooking Code: Unlocking Flavor (home-cooking-code-en)