Gado Gado Rolls
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Gado Gado, an Indonesian cooked-vegetables salad, presented as rolls. Because, let’s face it, it’s much more fun eating food sans utensils.
Author:
Recipe type: Appetizer
Cuisine: Asian/Indonesian
Yield: 4 - 5 servings
Ingredients
For the Dipping Sauce
  • 1 cup roasted peanuts, unsalted
  • 2 shallots, chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 2 - 3 red sweet mini peppers or hot red chilies, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon tamarind paste
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup water
  • ½ cup thick coconut milk
For the Rolls
  • 1 bunch collard greens
  • 1 each of these vegetables: tomato (or red bell pepper), carrot, potato, and cucumber
  • ¼ lb. green beans
  • ¼ of a small purple cabbage
  • 12 oz. block of firm tofu
Instructions
For the Dipping Sauce
  1. In a small frying pan, on medium-high heat, add a little bit of oil (about 1 - 2 teaspoons) or you can use cooking spray. Toast chopped onion, garlic, and peppers in the pan until they're soft and slightly charred. Set aside to cool.
  2. Grind peanuts in a food processor (I like to grind them coarsely but you can grind them into a smoother consistency if you prefer). Pour into a saucepan.
  3. Grind the toasted onion, garlic, and peppers in the same food processor. Use a little bit of the water or coconut milk to get it going. Add to the peanuts in the saucepan.
  4. Add the rest of the ingredients and set the saucepan on medium heat. Stir and boil until the sauce is thickened. *See Notes
For the Rolls
  1. Prepare collard greens by cutting off the stalks and trimming the midribs (see photo above). Blanch in boiling water until they're wilted and pliable but not too soft, about 2 minutes. Set aside to cool.
  2. Cut all vegetables and tofu into thick matchsticks.
  3. Boil or steam potato, carrot, green beans, and cabbage until they're tender. Tomato and cucumber should be left raw/fresh.
  4. Pan fry tofu sticks in a little bit of oil until they're nice and golden. Drain on paper towels.
  5. To roll, spread a collard leaf, one at a time, on a big plate or tray, stack vegetable and tofu sticks on the lower (stem) end of the leaf, fold the sides, and roll it up like a burrito.
  6. You can cut the rolls in half at an angle, to reveal the colorful vegetables. Serve with the dipping sauce.
Notes
Since the sauce is meant for dipping, it should be fairly thick. You can add more water if you prefer a thinner consistency.
Recipe by Fiesta Friday at https://fiestafriday.net/2021/03/15/gado-gado-rolls-with-peanut-sauce/