HOW TO PREPARE BALINESE DISH GADO-GADO

INDULGE IN THE BALINESE CUISINE

Balinese cooking is a plethora of cultural influences. Balinese dishes, cooking styles, and tools for preparing food have been cultivated from other cultures. The Chinese introduced stir-frying, the wok, and the use of soy sauce, Tempe, tofu, cabbage, and bean sprouts to Balinese cooking. The European Dutch colonials introduced pineapple, guava, peanuts, avocado, tomato, papaya, pumpkin, squash, and cacao. The Arabs influenced the popular “sate” with their own Kebab.

The authentic Balinese meals are spicy. In Ubud, the specialty is the duck, in Gianyar, the best suckling pig will be prepared, on the coast, near Kuta, the specialty is fish from the ocean. Real Balinese food is unavailable to tourists unless you get invited to a family dinner. In restaurants or hotels, you will never get real Balinese dishes, simply because authentic Balinese food requires too much preparation, has to be eaten while still fresh, and also because the Balinese use banana leaves as plates.

INGREDIENTS FOR GADO-GADO

portion for 2

Gado-Gado means at least two vegetables mixed together and served with peanut sauce. Gado-Gado is served in many warungs in Bali but rarely eaten at home. Gado-Gado is also served with tempe, tofu, a potato, an egg, and chips.

1. Spicy peanut sauce

1/2 cup raw peanuts
2 candlenuts
3 hot chilies
2 cm of lesser galangal
2 cloves of garlic
1 tbs sweet soy sauce
3 tbs hot water
200 ml vegetable oil
150 ml coconut milk

2. tempe, tofu, and chips:

50 gr tempe
50 gr tofu

3. Potato and egg:

1 boiled potato
1 hardboiled egg

4. Vegetables:

Long green beans
Cabbage
Spinach
Beans sprouts

1/4 kg mixed vegetables or any mixed hard and soft veggies you have.

HOW TO PREPARE IT

Spicy peanut sauce

Heat (a medium heat) the vegetable oil until is hot and deep fry the peanut, tempe, and tofu, until they get a golden brown color
In the mortar and pestle, blend peanuts, candlenuts, chilies, lesser galangal, and garlic together until all ingredients turn smooth and pasty. Add some warm water to help obtain the needed consistency.
Medium heat the coconut milk and add in the peanut paste, salt, pepper, and sweet soy sauce. Cook until it turns thick and pasty.
Add the kaffir lime juice and skin and the peanut sauce is ready

2. Vegetables

Cut all the vegetables about bite size
Heat the water until bubbling and boiled hard vegetables for 2 minutes first, then follow with soft vegetables in the same pot for another 3 minutes (5 minutes in total) and set aside from water.

SERVE THE GADO-GADO

Place all the vegetables on a dish. Spread the peanut sauce over them. Place tempe and tofu over the sauce. Garnish with egg and potato (also chips if you like so).

STEAMED RICE PREPARATION

In Balinese tradition, rice is made every morning to be eaten throughout the day.

Preparation of 2 cups white rice

The Balinese people put the rice in a large, shallow basket, shaking it to toss the rice into the air to get rid of the husks. Then, they wash the rice in cold water and drain the water.

Water is brought to a boil in a large pot, and the rice is placed in a conical basket over the pot and covered with a terracotta lid. The rice is steamed for about half an hour.

They place the rice in a bowl with two cups of hot water and let it sit for 15-20 minutes to absorb the water. Afterward, the rice is replaced on the steamer and cooked for another half an hour to dry it out.

Do not add salt during the cooking of the rice. The Balinese usually serve aside a small bowl of salt, fried shallots, chopped chilies, and coconut oil.