Do you crave healthy food after a bout of overindulging? I definitely do – perhaps not always a desire to eat vegetables (after eating a lot of sugar I tend to crave more sugar, which is partly why I limit my overall sugar intake) but I crave feeling healthy. I feel the need to nourish my body with healthy foods again so that I can wake up in the mornings and jump out of bed with enthusiasm and vigour, as opposed to waking up and immediately wanting to go back to sleep.
Easter for the most part was quite relaxing, but there was the compulsory chocolate bunny eating, and (quite a few) glasses of red wine (not to mention the incredibly delicious batch of brownies that I couldn’t stay away from). Plus a few meals out all led to a sluggish start to the day on Tuesday. And the feeling that I was in desperate need of another holiday! Luckily for me, I am heading off to Lombok in Indonesia in a few weeks, so its not too long between R&R for me.
Thinking about our holiday, and the need for some fresh vegetables, led to the making of this dish. Gado gado is a traditional Indonesian dish which is a combination of fresh and steamed vegetables, potatoes crackers, fried tempeh, boiled eggs and peanut sauce. I’ve mixed it up a little here, and instead of boiling the eggs, I’ve whisked them together and fried them lightly to make egg wraps to bundle up all of the ingredients and eat with your hands – slightly messy, but a lot more fun! I’ve also swapped out the more traditional steamed potato for thin and crispy slices of lightly fried sweet potato.
And then there is the peanut sauce which really sets the dish off – its rich, creamy yet full of flavour At B’s request I made this one quite spicy, but if you prefer a milder peanut sauce simply back off the chili a little.
Gado gado egg wraps with fried sweet potato
6 eggs
Small handful each of fresh vegetables such as sliced capsicum (pepper), carrots, bean sprouts, cucumber, lettuce
1 cup green beans
1 small sweet potato, finely sliced
150g tempeh, sliced
1/4 cup chopped coriander and mint leaves
Peanut sauce
2 Tbsp sambel Olek
1 Tbsp tamarind paste
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp finely grated ginger
10 Tbsp coconut milk
1 Tbsp soy and
4 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp lime juice
1/2 Tbsp brown sugar
1/4 cup finely ground peanuts
1 tsp dried chili flakes (optional)
To make the peanut sauce, heat 1/2 Tbsp coconut oil in a small pan and fry sambal olek and tamarind paste with the garlic and ginger. Stir a few minutes until fragrant. Add in 3 Tbsp of the coconut milk and combine to make a paste, then slowly incorporate the rest of the ingredients. Simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.
In the meantime, prepare the remaining ingredients. Cut the ends off the beans and throw them in a pot of lightly salted boiling water for a minute, then remove and rinse under cold water.
Fry the tempeh in a little coconut oil until golden brown on each side, and then do the same with the sweet potato.
To make the egg wraps, lightly whisk the eggs with 1 Tbsp water. Heat a medium-sized non-stick pan over medium heat and add 1/8th of the mixture, swirling the pan to cover the bottom. Cook around 1 minute or until set, then flip and cook 30 seconds on the bottom side. repeat with the rest of the mixture.
To assemble, top the egg wraps with vegetables and then a dollop of the sauce and a sprinkle of the fresh herbs.
Serves 4
This looks like something I would love! That peanut sauce sounds divine. I have never heard of sambel Olek – is it similar to hot sauce?
Hi Lauren! Sambal olek is an Indonesian chilli paste that’s available in Asian supermarkets – It is probably more similar to red curry paste which you could use instead if you can’t find sambal olek.
Love the egg wrap idea! This is a gorgeous dish. And I think that’s a great goal for all of us to work towards – to get to the point where we wake up and want to jump out of bed with enthusiasm and vigor! :-)
Haha, thanks Katie! Though I must admit I am in a bit of a post-Easter slump at the moment, hopefully a few more days of veggies and no chocolate will return me to my morning best :)
Hi Dearna! What a gorgeous blog you have! Even though I’m half Indonesian I’ve never made gado gado before. I’ll have to remedy that soon.. I think your idea of putting sweet potato is awesome, as I prefer sweet potato over “normal” potato. I hope you enjoy Lombok! Cheers, Sofia
Thank you Sofia :) I have just been checking out your blog too – I am so jealous that you are living in Barcelona, its one of my favorite cities. Such an amazing, vibrant place. I prefer sweet potato too, and it worked perfectly here (if not better, in my opinion). Can’t wait for Lombok – thank you!
This looks so, so good! I had this Gado Gado when I visited Indonesia over a decade ago, and I never thought to recreate it, and the egg wrap is such a great idea. I will definitely be returning to your site!
Thanks for stopping by Hannah, drop by any time :) Gado gado is so delicious! I am going to live off the stuff when I’m over there next month.
I had never heard of gado, and now I’m FASCINATED! I want to make these wraps as soon as possible. Vibrant, fresh and delicious. Pure perfection, m’dear!
You will love it – it’s one of my favorite dishes. The peanut sauce is deliciously creamy but the whole thing is quite light and fresh. Enjoy x
This looks so good! I need something savory to counter all the Easter chocolate I have been eating lately!
Thanks! I think we’re all in need of anything non-chocolate at the moment :)
I adore anything with gado gado sauce. I first tried it in Malaysia, strangely enough (I guess there’s a lot of similarity between Malay and Indonesian food) and I was immediately addicted! Love these healthy wraps. They look divinely redemptive after a period of chocolate (and wine – yep, I’m in the same camp) overindulgence. Great styling in this post, though I suppose the beautiful ingredients do most of the ‘primping’ for themselves… love the colours x
Thanks Laura! Gado gado is amazing, and you’re right, very easy to photography, especially with such lovely fresh and colourful ingredients :)
Just came across this when I was looking for dinner inspiration – need to buy some eggs but I already have everything else in the fridge. can’t wait to get home and try it, it looks delicious!
Hope you like it Serena, let me know how you go :)