Gado-gado ini terlalu pedas.

In Indonesian, demonstratives like ini and itu usually come after the noun.

• gado-gado ini = this gado-gado
• rumah itu = that house

So Indonesian says the equivalent of gado-gado this, not this gado-gado in word order.

Indonesian often leaves out the verb to be in simple sentences like this.

So:

• Gado-gado ini terlalu pedas.

literally looks like:

• This gado-gado too spicy.

But it naturally means:

• This gado-gado is too spicy.

This is completely normal in Indonesian.

Terlalu means too in the sense of more than desired or excessively.

So:

• terlalu pedas = too spicy

This is different from:

• sangat pedas = very spicy

So terlalu pedas suggests a problem, while sangat pedas may just describe a strong level.

Pedas means spicy/hot in the sense of chili heat.

It does not mean temperature-hot. For example:

• pedas = spicy
• panas = hot/warm in temperature

So if food burns your mouth because of chili, use pedas.

Yes. Gado-gado is the name of an Indonesian dish, usually a vegetable salad with peanut sauce.

The repeated form is just the standard name of the dish. Not every repeated-looking word is something you need to analyze productively. In this case, gado-gado is simply the word you learn as a whole.

It is commonly written with a hyphen: gado-gado.

Yes, but the meaning changes.

• Gado-gado ini terlalu pedas. = This gado-gado is too spicy.
• Gado-gado ini sangat pedas. = This gado-gado is very spicy.

Use terlalu when the spiciness is excessive or unpleasant. Use sangat when you just want to intensify the description.

That would sound unnatural for this meaning.

The normal order is:

• Gado-gado ini terlalu pedas.

This follows a common Indonesian pattern:

• noun + ini/itu + adjective

So:

• makanan ini enak = this food is delicious
• kopi itu pahit = that coffee is bitter

Keeping ini after the noun is the safest choice.

It specifically means this gado-gado.

• gado-gado = gado-gado
• gado-gado ini = this gado-gado

Indonesian does not use articles like a or the the same way English does, so context often handles that. Adding ini makes it definite and near the speaker: this one.

A simple approximate pronunciation is:

• GAH-doh GAH-doh EE-nee ter-LAH-loo puh-DAS

A few notes:

• g is always a hard g, like in go
• i is usually like ee
• e in pedas is often a relaxed uh sound
• stress in Indonesian is usually not as strong or dramatic as in English

You do not need to over-stress one syllable heavily.

You can adjust the feeling with different words:

• Gado-gado ini pedas. = This gado-gado is spicy.
• Gado-gado ini sangat pedas. = This gado-gado is very spicy.
• Gado-gado ini terlalu pedas. = This gado-gado is too spicy.
• Gado-gado ini agak pedas. = This gado-gado is rather/a bit spicy.

So terlalu is the stronger, more negative choice here.

Yes, you could, but the meaning becomes less specific.

• Gado-gado ini terlalu pedas. = This gado-gado is too spicy.
• Gado-gado terlalu pedas. = Gado-gado is too spicy / Gado-gado is excessively spicy.

Without ini, it may sound more general or less tied to one specific plate in front of you. If you are talking about the dish you are eating right now, ini is very natural.

It is neutral and completely natural in everyday Indonesian.

It works well in normal conversation, such as at a restaurant or at home. It is neither especially formal nor slangy.

If you wanted to be more polite in a real-life situation, you might add something around it, for example:

• Maaf, gado-gado ini terlalu pedas. = Sorry, this gado-gado is too spicy.

But the sentence itself is perfectly standard.