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Gudeg Jogja (Young Jackfruit Simmered in Palm Sugar and Teak Leaf)

Gudeg Jogja (Young Jackfruit Simmered in Palm Sugar and Teak Leaf) reads richness 6.8, sweetness 6.5 and umami 6.2 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Indonesian main, about 4 hr 52 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

• Umami & Savory — 6.6 / 10
• Sweet & Fruity — 7.6 / 10
• Sour & Bright — 3.8 / 10
• Bitter & Earthy — 2.2 / 10
• Rich & Fat — 7.8 / 10
• Aromatic & Spice — 4.4 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Richness 6.8 · Sweetness 6.5 · Umami 6.2 · Salinity 4.4 · Allium 4.0 · Fruity 3.8 · Nutty 3.4 · Sourness 3.2 · Earthy 2.1 · Herbaceous 2.1 · Citrus 2.1 · Warm Spice 1.8 · Floral 1.3 · Bitterness 0.8

What's in it (15)

• young jackfruit — 1200 g
• eggs — 300 g
• chicken thighs — 600 g
• fresh teak leaves — 5 g
• coconut milk — 736 g
• brown sugar — 200 g
• shallots — 200 g
• garlic — 40 g
• candlenuts — 30 g
• coriander seed — 30 g
• galangal root — 30 g
• salam leaves — 2 g
• tamarind juice — 44 g
• salt — 10 g
• water — 600 g

Time & effort: about 4 hr 52 min · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 123.7 kcal, 5.3 g protein, 6.4 g fat, 13.2 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains dairy · Contains egg — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (8 steps)

1. Boil the jackfruit chunks in plenty of unsalted water for 20 minutes, then drain. Young jackfruit is astringent and sticky with latex when raw, and this first boil takes the edge off and softens it enough to absorb everything that follows. Use only green unripe jackfruit, fresh or tinned in brine, never the sweet ripe fruit in syrup.
2. Pound or blend the shallots, garlic, candlenuts, ground coriander and galangal into a smooth bumbu paste.
3. Line the bottom of a large heavy pot with the teak leaves. In Yogyakarta these give gudeg its deep mahogany colour through their tannins; outside Java, a layer of brown onion skins is the standard workaround and it is honest to say so rather than pretend the colour comes from the sugar.
4. Layer the drained jackfruit, chicken and boiled eggs over the leaves. Spread the bumbu over the top, tuck in the salam leaves, then pour over the water, half the coconut milk, the tamarind water and the palm sugar with the salt.
5. Bring to a boil, then reduce to the barest simmer, cover and cook 3 hours without stirring. Stirring breaks up the jackfruit, which should end up meltingly soft but still in recognisable pieces. Check once an hour and add a little water if it threatens to catch.
6. Uncover, add the remaining coconut milk and simmer 60 to 90 minutes more, now stirring gently every 20 minutes, until almost all the liquid has gone and what is left is thick, dark brown and clinging. Gudeg jogja is the dry, sweet version; the wetter Central Java style is stopped an hour earlier.
7. Taste. It should be startlingly sweet to a palate expecting a curry, with salt and a low sour note behind it, and that is correct. Serve with rice, sambal krecek (buffalo skin in chilli), and opor-style chicken. It keeps and improves for 2 days.
8. Substitutions: 2 tbsp dried onion skins for colour can stand in for the fresh teak leaves.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

• Poulet DG — Cameroonian
• Chiles Rellenos de Picadillo Capeados — Mexican
• Poulet Vallée d'Auge — French · Normandy
• Tamales Cubanos — Cuban
• Fabio'S Chickpea Soup — Middle Eastern

Keep reading: what richness, sweetness, umami mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.