Bandung-Style Vegetable Salad with Spicy Peanut Sauce

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Bandung's signature take on Indonesia's beloved gado-gado leans sweet-spicy and smoky, with a generous pour of palm-sugar peanut sauce and a sprinkle of pan-fried oncom for deep umami. Crisp blanched greens, warm lontong, fried tofu, and tempeh make it a satisfying lunch that balances rich, bright, and fresh in every bite.

Nutrition Facts

Per serving (estimated)

• 640 kcalCalories
• 34 gFat
• 6 gSaturated Fat
• 58 gCarbs
• 9 gFiber
• 14 gSugar
• 26 gProtein
• 720 mgSodium
• 820 mgPotassium
• 190 mgCalcium
• 4.5 mgIron
• 28 mgVitamin C
• 160 mcgVitamin A

Ingredients

For the Bandung-Style Peanut Sauce

• 1 cup (140 g) raw skin-on peanuts, dry-roasted
• 4 large shallots, roughly chopped
• 3 garlic cloves
• 5 red bird's-eye chilies, stemmed
• 2 red Fresno chilies, stemmed
• 1 tablespoon grated kencur (aromatic ginger)
• 1 teaspoon grated galangal
• 3 tablespoons palm sugar, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon tamarind paste
• 2 tablespoons sweet soy sauce (kecap manis)
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 cup (240 ml) warm water
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

For the Salad Base

• 4 cups (about 600 g) compressed rice cakes (lontong), cut into 3 cm cubes
• 150 g bean sprouts, rinsed
• 150 g long beans, trimmed and cut into 4 cm pieces
• 150 g napa cabbage, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 150 g baby spinach
• 1/2 cucumber, thinly sliced
• 200 g firm tofu, drained and cubed
• 200 g tempeh, sliced into triangles
• 2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and halved

For the Toppings and Garnish

• 150 g oncom (fermented soybean cake), crumbled
• 1 cup (60 g) emping or shrimp crackers, for serving
• 3 tablespoons crispy fried shallots
• 2 tablespoons chopped celery leaves
• 1 lime, cut into wedges
• 1 tablespoon peanut oil for pan-frying

Directions

1. Toast the peanuts in a dry skillet over medium heat for 5-6 minutes until golden and fragrant, then set aside to cool. Reserve 2 tablespoons for garnish and grind the rest in a food processor with warm water until a thick paste forms.
2. Roughly chop the shallots, garlic, and chilies. In a small amount of oil, sauté them with the kencur and galangal for 3-4 minutes until softened and aromatic. Add the palm sugar, tamarind, kecap manis, and salt, and stir until the sugar melts.
3. Transfer the spice paste to a saucepan with the ground peanut paste and 1 cup of warm water. Simmer gently for 8-10 minutes, stirring often, until the sauce thickens to a pourable consistency that coats the back of a spoon. Finish with lime juice and adjust seasoning; keep warm.
4. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch the cabbage for 1 minute, then the long beans for 2 minutes, then the bean sprouts for 30 seconds, draining each into cold water. Briefly dip the spinach in the same water for 10 seconds only. Drain all vegetables well.
5. Heat 1 tablespoon peanut oil in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Pan-fry the tofu and tempeh for 3-4 minutes per side until deeply golden. In the same pan, fry the crumbled oncom for about 5 minutes, pressing it flat, until crisp and smoky. Set aside.
6. Cut the lontong into cubes and steam for 5 minutes to warm through, then arrange on a large platter. Pile the blanched vegetables in colorful sections around the rice cakes, tuck in the cucumber slices, and nestle the fried tofu and tempeh on top, with the egg halves at the center.
7. Mound the warm fried oncom over the vegetables and scatter the reserved toasted peanuts and crispy shallots across the whole platter. Surround with celery leaves and lime wedges.
8. Serve immediately with the peanut sauce passed alongside, or drizzle about 1/3 cup directly over each portion. Top with emping crackers just before eating so they stay crisp.

Cook’s Notes

• Oncom is essential for the authentic Bandung flavor; if unavailable, substitute with crumbled tempeh that has been marinated in 1 teaspoon miso before frying.
• Kencur is the signature aromatic here; do not substitute ginger alone, as it changes the character completely. Find it fresh or frozen at Asian markets.
• The sauce thickens as it cools, so loosen it with a splash of warm water when reheating leftovers; it keeps refrigerated for up to 3 days.
• For a vegetarian version, skip the shrimp crackers and use plain melinjo emping, which are naturally plant-based.
• Pound the spice paste in a traditional mortar and pestle instead of a food processor for a slightly coarser, more rustic sauce that clings better to the vegetables.

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