Gado-gado, salad or side from Indonesia: what it is and how it is eaten

Gado-gado is an Indonesian salad of blanched or steamed vegetables, fried tofu and tempeh, hard-boiled eggs, and sliced rice cake, all coated in a thick, sweet-spicy peanut sauce. It is served at room temperature and topped with crackers and fried shallots. Gado-gado is widely eaten across Indonesia, from street stalls to restaurants, and is considered one of the country's national dishes.

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Named a national dish of Indonesia in 2018
Vegetables, tofu, tempeh and egg in peanut sauce
Often topped with krupuk crackers and fried shallots
Served at room temperature
Many regional versions across Indonesia

What is Gado-gado?

Gado-gado is a dish made by mixing a variety of cooked and raw vegetables, such as cabbage, spinach, bean sprouts, potatoes, and chayote, with fried tofu, tempeh (fermented soybean cake), and hard-boiled eggs. Slices of lontong, a dense rice cake, are often added. Everything is coated in a thick, sweet and spicy peanut sauce, then topped with crunchy krupuk (Indonesian crackers) and fried shallots. The sauce is a main feature, giving the dish a nutty, savoury, and slightly sweet taste. Gado-gado is usually served at room temperature.

Where does Gado-gado come from?

Gado-gado is widely eaten across Indonesia, especially in Jakarta and western Java. Its exact origins are unclear, with some saying it comes from the Betawi people of Jakarta, while others link it to Sundanese cooking or influences from Portuguese or Chinese communities. The name comes from a local word meaning 'to eat without rice', which is why rice cake is used instead. Gado-gado was named a national dish of Indonesia in 2018.

How is Gado-gado made?

To make gado-gado, vegetables like long beans, cabbage, bean sprouts, and potatoes are blanched or steamed, while tofu and tempeh are fried until golden. Hard-boiled eggs are peeled and sliced, and lontong rice cake is cut into pieces. The peanut sauce is made by grinding fried peanuts with palm sugar, chillies, garlic, salt, tamarind, and lime juice, then diluting with water to the right consistency. The vegetables, tofu, tempeh, egg, and rice cake are mixed or arranged on a plate, covered with the sauce, and topped with crackers and fried shallots.

Gado gado is vegetables mixed together with peanut sauce. Photo: Piknikdong, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

How and when is Gado-gado eaten?

Gado-gado is eaten as a main meal, often for lunch or dinner. It is popular at home, in street stalls, and in restaurants. The dish is usually served at room temperature, with the sauce poured over the vegetables just before eating. It is often accompanied by krupuk or emping (types of Indonesian crackers) and sometimes served with extra rice or rice cake. Some vendors prepare the sauce to order, adjusting the spiciness to the customer's taste.

Kinds of Gado-gado

There are many regional versions of gado-gado. Gado-gado Betawi from Jakarta uses boiled vegetables, tofu, tempeh, and egg. Gado-gado Padang from West Sumatra adds yellow noodles and cellophane noodles and is known for its spicy taste. Gado-gado Sederhana is a simpler version with basic vegetables and peanut sauce. Gado-gado Sidoarjo includes petis (shrimp paste) in the sauce, while Gado-gado Surabaya uses coconut milk in the sauce and adds lettuce and tomatoes. Outside Indonesia, the vegetables may vary based on what is available.

What Gado-gado means

Gado-gado is a symbol of Indonesian diversity, combining many ingredients and influences. It is recognized as one of Indonesia's five national dishes. The dish is found everywhere from street carts to high-end restaurants and is a common part of daily meals. Some restaurants in Jakarta are famous for their gado-gado and have served it for decades. The peanut sauce is central to the dish and is sometimes made in front of customers to suit their taste.

Questions people ask about Gado-gado

What is gado-gado made of?

Gado-gado is made from a mix of blanched or steamed vegetables, fried tofu and tempeh, hard-boiled eggs, and sliced rice cake, all covered in a thick peanut sauce and topped with crackers and fried shallots.

Where does gado-gado come from?

Gado-gado comes from Indonesia, especially the Jakarta area and western Java. It is now found throughout the country and is recognized as a national dish.

Is gado-gado vegetarian?

Gado-gado can be vegetarian if made without egg or shrimp paste in the sauce. Some versions include shrimp paste or egg, so it varies.

How is gado-gado served?

Gado-gado is served at room temperature, with the sauce poured over the vegetables, tofu, tempeh, egg, and rice cake, and topped with crackers and fried shallots.

What does the peanut sauce in gado-gado contain?

The peanut sauce is made from ground fried peanuts, palm sugar, chillies, garlic, salt, tamarind, and lime juice, sometimes with shrimp paste or coconut milk depending on the region.

Good reading and sources

Where this page comes from

The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Gado-gado", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). Thali rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.

It may contain mistakes, and it is not dietary or allergy advice: recipes differ from cook to cook. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-03.

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