While on our road trip around the island of Java, our guide Heri encouraged me to try Gado-Gado. I was able to try it twice, and I am addicted. If making it at home, you could easily make it for a number of different diets (gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, chicken-lovers, just to name a few).

The dish is served cold, and consists of coarsely diced pre-cooked foods topped with a peanut sauce like a dressing. Between the two versions I tried, there were potatoes, green beans, water spinach, tomatoes, carrots, tempeh, tofu, shredded chicken, mung bean sprouts, boiled eggs, and shredded cabbage. One version was also topped with pieces of crisp rice crackers, which soaked up the sauce really well.

The peanut sauce was simple yet delicious. It is made from roasted peanuts, palm sugar, chilis, and lemon leaf. (Some versions also contain tamarind) Then all the ingredients are ground together (mortar and pestle style) into a thick, paste-like sauce that is a slap of pure joy to the palate.