The market · Herbs and aromatics · Southeast Asia
Salam leaves
Indonesian 'bay leaf' — not related to bay, with a woody, slightly sour scent that's the background of gudeg, rendang and countless Javanese stews.
woody · earthy · faintly sour
What to do with it
JavaneseGudegYoung jackfruit simmered for hours in coconut milk and palm sugar until brown, sweet and tender, served with rice, chicken, egg and a hot stew of cow's skin.No one here has made it yetJavaneseTempeh bacemTempeh (and often tofu) simmered in coconut water, palm sugar and spice until the liquid is gone, then fried until dark and sticky.No one here has made it yetSundanesePepes ikanFish rubbed with a yellow spice paste, wrapped in banana leaf with lemon basil, tomato and chilli, then steamed and grilled.No one here has made it yetSundaneseEmpal gentongBeef and offal stewed in a spiced coconut broth in a clay pot over a wood fire, with rice or lontong and dried chilli to sprinkle.No one here has made it yet
If you can't find it
Indonesian grocers, dried, as daun salam.
No real swap
Nothing tastes like it. Bay leaf is the usual suggestion, but it's a different, more medicinal flavour — leaving it out is closer.
Goes with
Knowing it
- Where to buy
- Dried, from Indonesian or Dutch-Indonesian shops. There's no real swap; leave it out rather than use bay or curry leaf.
- Worth knowing
- Fry the leaves briefly in the spice paste before adding liquid; the scent comes out in fat.
Kitchens that keep it in
Central and East Java, and Madura, IndonesiaJavaneseThe cooking of Indonesia's most populous island: sweet with palm sugar and kecap manis in the centre, saltier and hotter towards the east, with tempeh and tofu at nearly every meal.9 classicsWest Java, IndonesiaSundaneseThe cooking of West Java's highlands: raw vegetables and fresh sambal, pond fish wrapped in banana leaf, rice packed hot in a leaf, and Bandung's street snacks.8 classicsBali, IndonesiaBalineseThe cooking of Hindu Bali: pork roasted whole, duck slow-cooked in spice, lawar chopped for the temple feast, and base genep, the paste behind nearly everything.9 classics
