andrejthechef
IndonesiaStewLunchGluten-freeDairy-free

Gudeg Jogja

Young jackfruit simmered for hours in coconut milk and palm sugar until sweet and tender, served with rice, braised egg and spicy krecek.

prep
30 min
cook
3 h
total
3 h 30 min
serves
6
level
hard
Gudeg Jogja, a dish from Yogyakarta

Gudeg is Yogyakarta's signature dish, and it takes real patience: young, unripe jackfruit simmered for hours in coconut milk and palm sugar until it turns dark, sweet and so tender it nearly falls apart on its own.

The sweetness is the whole character of the dish, and krecek, a spicy braise of beef skin crackers, is served alongside specifically to cut through it. Served without the krecek, gudeg can taste one-note; the two are meant to be eaten together.

Part of our 20 best Indonesian recipes list.

method

  1. Blend the shallots, garlic, candlenuts, coriander seeds and galangal into a paste.

  2. Put the jackfruit in a large, heavy pot with the coconut milk, palm sugar, spice paste, bay leaf and dark soy sauce. Add just enough water to barely cover.

  3. Bring to a simmer, then lower the heat so it barely bubbles. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 2.5 to 3 hours, until the jackfruit is completely tender, dark brown, and almost falling apart.

  4. Add the peeled hard-boiled eggs for the last 45 minutes of cooking, so they soak up color and flavor from the sauce.

  5. For the krecek, blend the chilies with a splash of water into a rough paste. Fry it in the oil for 3 minutes, add the soaked beef skin crackers and a ladle of the gudeg liquid, and simmer for 10 minutes until the crackers soften and the sauce clings to them.

  6. Season the gudeg with salt to taste. Serve with rice, a braised egg, and the spicy krecek on the side as the heat to cut through the sweetness.

chef's tips

  • Canned young jackfruit in brine or water is what you want here, never the ripe, sweet jackfruit sold as a fruit or in syrup. They look completely different once cooked.
  • Traditional versions color the dish using teak leaves, which are not available outside Java. Dark soy sauce gets you a reasonable color at home; it is a known substitute, not a shortcut nobody takes.
  • Gudeg is meant to be sweet. The krecek on the side exists specifically to give you something spicy to balance it, so do not skip it thinking it is optional.
  • This keeps and reheats very well, and many households make a large batch on purpose to eat over several days.