Aromatic Leaves and Citrus in Indonesian Cooking
Aromatic leaves in Indonesian cooking do a job that chili and salt cannot. A cook who wants a curry to taste of citrus, or rice to smell of pandan, reaches for a leaf or a stalk rather than a powder. Leaves, citrus, lemongrass, sour fruit and herbs make up this group, and the choice between them comes down to what a dish needs: fragrance, sourness or freshness. The wider spice family is covered in the Indonesian spices and ingredients guide, and pages on individual ingredients go deeper on each one.
Aromatic leaves in Indonesian cooking: what they share
The ingredients in this group come from many different plants. Lemongrass is a grass in the genus Cymbopogon. Kaffir lime is a citrus, and tamarind is the fruit of a tree grown across the tropics. Daun salam, the leaf known in English as Indonesian bay leaf, comes from Syzygium polyanthum, a tree in the myrtle family. What links them is the job they do. Each one adds a layer of fragrance, sourness or freshness, and most of them sit behind the main flavours of a dish rather than being the dish itself.
The main cause of confusion is naming. Several of these ingredients are one ingredient under two labels. Sereh and serai are both names for lemongrass. Daun jeruk and jeruk purut both point to the kaffir lime, since daun jeruk is the leaf and jeruk purut is the Javanese name of the fruit, which means wart lime after its bumpy skin. Pandan wangi and pandanwangi are two spellings of one fragrant rice from Cianjur. The word asam means sour in Indonesian, and in the kitchen it very often means tamarind. Knowing these overlaps saves a trip to the wrong shelf.
Lemongrass and its close relatives
Serai and sereh in everyday cooking
Serai is the stalk most cooks reach for first. Lemongrass is grown as a culinary herb for its lemon-like scent, and the ordinary kitchen species is the one best suited to cooking. Cooks slice the stalk thinly or bruise it, then add it whole to simmering dishes so the fragrance spreads through the pot. It suits soups, gulai-style curries and herbal drinks.
For the stalk itself, start with the serai page, which covers how the stalk is prepared before it reaches the pot. Readers who see the word sereh on a label will find the same plant on the sereh page, which treats its uses and preparation in more detail.
Lemongrass in chili relishes
Lemongrass is also finely cut into raw chili relishes. Sambal matah, the raw relish of Bali, is made from shallots, lemongrass and bird’s eye chili. Readers planning a chili relish will want the page on serai in sambals, which covers the stalk in that role.
Sereh wangi is a different plant
Sereh wangi, the citronella grass of Indonesia, is a relative of kitchen lemongrass rather than the same thing. Both belong to the genus Cymbopogon, but sereh wangi is Cymbopogon winterianus, known commercially as Java citronella, a plant of western Malesia. Its oil is used in perfumery and cosmetics. Sereh wangi is therefore a fragrance plant first, and it is not a cooking ingredient in the way serai is. If you meet the name on a bottle rather than in a recipe, the sereh wangi page explains the plant and its uses.
Kaffir lime leaves and the limes of Indonesian kitchens
Daun jeruk and jeruk purut are one leaf
Daun jeruk is the leaf of Citrus hystrix, a lime native to tropical Southeast Asia that English speakers call kaffir lime. The leaves are distinctive: each one is double, shaped like an hourglass, with a leaf blade joined to a flattened, leaf-like stalk. Crushed leaves and the rind give off an intense citrus fragrance. In Balinese and Javanese cooking the leaves go into soto ayam, and they are also used alongside daun salam in chicken and fish dishes. The daun jeruk page is the place to start for the leaf itself. Because jeruk purut names the same plant, that page covers the leaf under the Javanese name for the fruit.
Handle the leaves with some care. Whole leaves suit curries and soups and are best lifted out before the bowl is served, while thin slices suit sambal and stir-fries. Heat drives off aroma over time, so add the leaves early enough to scent the dish but do not boil them hard for long. If you cannot get them, lime zest with a little lemongrass gives a lighter version of the same lift.
Jeruk nipis, the squeezed lime
Jeruk nipis is the small round lime used for its juice in Indonesian cooking. Limes as a group are believed to have originated in tropical Southeast Asia, particularly Indonesia and southern China. The juice is squeezed over noodle soups and sambal and used to lift grilled dishes. Where a recipe calls for juice rather than leaf, jeruk nipis is the one to pick, and its jeruk nipis page covers the fruit and where it fits in a meal.
Sour agents: tamarind and asam gelugur
Asam jawa and the word asam
Tamarind is called asam jawa, meaning Javanese sour fruit, or simply asam across Southeast Asia. The hard green pulp of young fruit is used in savoury dishes, and as the fruit ripens it becomes sweeter and less sour. Sayur asem, a tamarind-based sour soup, is the most familiar Indonesian use, and roasted tamarind seeds are eaten as a snack with salt and grated coconut. The asam jawa page covers the pulp and its place in sour soups. A second page, tamarind (asam), covers the same fruit under its general name, so the two read well together.
Asam gelugur, the dried garcinia
Asam gelugur is a different plant altogether. It is Garcinia atroviridis, a tree that grows wild from the eastern Himalayas through Myanmar and Thailand to Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo and Sumatra. The round fruit is about 7 to 10 centimetres across and ripens bright orange-yellow. Cooks slice the fruit and sun-dry it, and the dried slices, called asam keping, are used as a souring agent in curries and soups. Dried slices are the common form in markets, so asam gelugur is usually bought as a dry ingredient rather than fresh. The asam gelugur page covers the fruit and the way its dried slices are used.
Leaves that perfume rice, stews and desserts
Pandan leaf
Pandan leaf comes from Pandanus amaryllifolius, a plant that is sterile and flowers only very rarely, so it is spread by suckers and cuttings rather than by seed. Its scent comes from 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline, the same aroma compound that gives jasmine and basmati rice their smell. In Indonesian kitchens the leaves are tied into a knot, bruised and added to coconut rice to deepen its aroma. The green juice from the leaves colours and flavours cakes and sweets in Malaysian and Indonesian cooking. The pandan leaf page covers its uses, scent and sourcing in more depth.
Pandan wangi rice from Cianjur
Pandan wangi and pandanwangi are two spellings for the same fragrant rice, a locally bred variety from Cianjur Regency in West Java. The rice carries a scent like pandan, which is why it is a favourite when the grain itself should smell good. The pandan wangi rice page covers the rice’s background, and the pandanwangi rice page describes the same grain under the other spelling.
Daun salam, the Indonesian bay leaf
Daun salam, Syzygium polyanthum, is the Indonesian bay leaf, and it is not the Western bay leaf of European kitchens. The tree is native to Indonesia, Indochina and Malaysia, and its leaves are used fresh or dried in the cooking of Sumatra, Java, Madura and Bali. They appear in dishes such as sayur lodeh and nasi gurih. Cooks usually add the leaves early so they can simmer in the liquid, then lift them out before serving. The daun salam page covers how the leaf is used and where it fits.
Leaves for vegetables, garnish and frying
Daun kelor, the moringa leaf
Daun kelor is the leaf of Moringa oleifera, a fast-growing tree that Indonesian households commonly grow for its leaves. The leaves grow on the stem as small leaflets, so picking them is closer to stripping a branch than cutting a bunch of greens. They go into clear broth soups and are cooked much like spinach, which means they need only a short time in the pot. Add them near the end of cooking so they stay green and tender. The daun kelor page covers the moringa leaf in Indonesian dishes, and it is a good next stop for anyone who has bought a bundle without a plan for it.
Daun pepaya, papaya leaves
Papaya leaves come from Carica papaya, a tree native to the tropical Americas that is now grown widely across Southeast Asia. Young papaya leaves are the ones cooked, and they carry a slight bitterness that makes them an acquired taste. In Java, buntil is made by wrapping grated coconut mixed with small anchovies and spices in papaya, cassava or taro leaves, then boiling the parcels in coconut milk. Because of the bitterness, cooks usually boil papaya leaves first and drain them before using them in other dishes. The papaya leaves page covers the Indonesian dishes in more detail.
Daun kari, the curry leaf
Daun kari is the curry leaf, Murraya koenigii, a tree in the citrus family, Rutaceae, which makes it a distant cousin of the kaffir lime. Fresh leaves are strongly preferred, because dried leaves have an aroma far weaker than fresh ones. In Java the leaves are cooked in gulai, a stew-like dish, to add flavour. Across South and Southeast Asian cooking they are usually fried early in a dish, in hot oil, so the scent carries through the rest of the pan. The daun kari page covers the frying technique and dishes in more detail.
Selasih and the basil family
Selasih is a name that can point to more than one basil, so the name alone does not always settle which herb is meant. The plant covered here is holy basil, Ocimum tenuiflorum, which is called ruku-ruku in both Minangkabau and Indonesian. Minangkabau cooking uses it heavily in gulai made with fish, where the leaves add flavour to the sauce. The selasih page sets out the plant and how it is used. Kemangi, a lemon-scented basil, is a separate herb that is usually eaten raw with sambal or stirred into soups at the end.
Shallots as the base layer
Bawang merah, the shallot
Bawang merah, the shallot, underlies much of the rest of this group. It is sliced, pounded into pastes and fried crisp as a garnish for rice and soups. Sambal matah shows the pairing well: raw shallot, lemongrass and bird’s eye chili need no cooking at all. The bawang merah page covers shallots in everyday cooking and in sambal, which is the place to go when shallots carry the whole flavour of a dish.
How to choose between these ingredients
Choose by the job an ingredient has to do rather than by its name. These ingredients fall into a few clear roles.
- For sourness in a broth, tamarind pulp suits sayur asem, and dried asam gelugur slices suit curries and soups.
- For citrus aroma in a curry or soup, kaffir lime leaves are the choice, and jeruk nipis juice is the one to squeeze at the table.
- For a fragrant rice, pandan leaf goes into coconut rice, while pandan wangi from Cianjur is the choice when the grain itself should carry the scent.
- For a gentle herbal note in coconut stews and rice, daun salam is the usual pick.
- For greens in a soup or stir-fry, moringa, papaya and curry leaves each give a different result, so match the leaf to the dish rather than swapping them freely.
- For a raw relish, lemongrass and shallot go together, as in sambal matah.
Sereh wangi does not belong among these choices. It is grown for its oil and perfume, and it is not used as a seasoning in the way lemongrass is.
Practical notes before you cook
Lemongrass needs preparing before it works. The stalks are sliced thinly or bruised so that the fragrance can escape into the dish. Fresh kaffir lime leaves should be torn or thinly sliced, and whole leaves are best removed before the dish is served. Dried curry leaves have a much weaker aroma than fresh ones, so they are a fallback rather than a first choice.
When a leaf is missing, the usual stand-ins are simple. Lime zest with a little lemongrass copies the lift of kaffir lime leaves. The best guide is to match the job rather than the name, so a stand-in should carry the same aroma or sourness the original was added for.
Start with the ingredient your recipe names, check its Indonesian label against the names above, and then open the matching ingredient page for the detail. Where two names refer to the same thing, one page is enough to decide, and the other helps the reader who met the name first on a different label.