foto: YouTube/mama Daniel Sean
Brilio.net - Gado-gado is often referred to as one of Indonesia's signature salads. This traditional food is made from various vegetables such as long beans, carrots, bean sprouts, and cucumbers. Gado-gado is even more delicious when served with a distinctive peanut sauce.
Before being eaten, the vegetables for gado-gado are usually cooked first. Most people choose to boil them in boiling water so they cook quickly, while others prefer to steam them so they stay crispy.
Unfortunately, gado-gado vegetables are known to go stale easily. This is because the cooking process involves water, making it not long-lasting. In just a few hours, the vegetables can become slimy and give off an unpleasant odor.
To avoid this, you can try a vegetable cooking trick shared by YouTube user mama Daniel Sean. In one of her videos, she shares how to cook vegetables for gado-gado using bean sprouts, sliced green beans , sliced long beans, thinly sliced carrots, and thinly sliced chayote.
"When cooking vegetables, make sure to wash them thoroughly first. Then cut or slice them. Once cut, don't wash them again to maintain the nutrients in the vegetables," explained YouTube mama Daniel Sean.
photo: YouTube/Mama Daniel Sean
In addition, he also uses green vegetables such as kale, kale, mustard greens, and celery that have been washed clean.
For the method, prepare a frying pan, then place it on the stove. Turn on medium heat and add the prepared vegetables. For vegetables that contain a lot of water such as pumpkin, carrots, long beans, and bean sprouts, it is better to place them on the bottom of the pan. Then, cover them with green leafy vegetables on top.
photo: YouTube/Mama Daniel Sean
"I don't use water at all, because the vegetables I cook have a high water content," he explained further.
After all the vegetables are in, cover the pan and cook for about 20 minutes over medium to low heat. When exposed to heat, the water content in the vegetables will come out and help the cooking process.
photo: YouTube/Mama Daniel Sean
After 10 minutes, open the pan and sprinkle salt. In addition to adding flavor, salt also serves to make vegetables last longer by absorbing the remaining water on the surface of the vegetables.
Once salted, cover the pan again and cook for another 10 minutes. When the green leafy vegetables start to wilt, it is a sign that the vegetables are cooked. Turn off the heat and serve with peanut sauce for gado-gado. Because the surface is rougher and drier, gado-gado vegetables can last all day even without a refrigerator.
photo: YouTube/Mama Daniel Sean
5 FAQs about how to cook gado-gado vegetables so they don't go stale quickly1. Can all types of vegetables be cooked without water?
Not all vegetables are suitable for cooking without water. Vegetables that have a high water content such as pumpkin, carrots, bean sprouts, and long beans can be cooked without adding water, but dry vegetables may still need a little water to prevent burning.
2. Why can salt help vegetables last longer?
Salt absorbs the remaining water on the surface of vegetables, thereby reducing the moisture that can cause them to rot more quickly.
3. Can this method be applied to other dishes besides gado-gado?
Yes, this technique can be used for various vegetable-based dishes, such as capcay or stir-fries without water.
4. What if you don't have a frying pan with a lid?
You can use other tools such as a pot with a lid or cover the pan with aluminum foil to trap the heat.
5. Is it necessary to add oil when cooking vegetables using this method?
There is no need, because the water from inside the vegetables is enough to cook them without additional oil.
(brl/tin)
