Gudeg
Gudeg
The recipe
Gudeg is the soul of Yogyakarta — a young jackfruit stew simmered for hours in coconut milk and palm sugar, with a complex spice paste of coriander, cumin, candlenuts, galangal, garlic, and shallots. The result is sweet, savory, and slightly spicy, with the jackfruit turning a deep mahogany color from the palm sugar and the long cooking. It's traditionally served with rice, kuah santan (coconut milk soup), hard-boiled egg, chicken, and *krecek* (spicy cow skin stew). The dish is the pride of Java — if you ask a Javanese 'what's your favorite food', chances are they'll say gudeg.
Ingredients
Method
💡 Tips from the kitchen
- ·Teak leaves give the color, not flavor. If you can't find them, just let the gudeg cook longer.
- ·Gudeg is even better the next day. Many Yogyakartans make a big batch on Sunday and eat it all week.
- ·The sweetness should be balanced by the salty egg and spicy krecek — never serve gudeg alone.
The story
Did you know?
🇮🇩 Indonesia has 17,000+ islands — only 6,000 are inhabited.
Cook it yourself
Gudeg is one of Indonesia's heritage dishes. Want to try the recipe at home?
See the recipe →
