Serundeng () refers to a Javanese spiced grated

coconut The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (biology), family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, ...

side dish or

condiment A condiment is a preparation that is added to food, typically after cooking, to enhance the Flavoring, flavour, to complement the dish or to impart a specific flavor. Such specific flavors generally add sweetness or pungency, or sharp or piquant ...

originated in Indonesia that is used to accompany

rice Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...

. Serundeng may taste sweet or hot and spicy, according to the recipe variants. Its best-known variant is an Indonesian preparation of sautéed grated

mixed with

spice In the culinary arts, a spice is any seed, fruit, root, Bark (botany), bark, or other plant substance in a form primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are the leaves, flowers, or stems of pl ...

and other ingredients. The spiced shredded toasted coconut can be mixed with peanuts, used as a condiment to add flavour, or used as a garnish sprinkled upon rice-based dishes, such as steamed rice,

lontong ''Lontong'' () is an Indonesian cuisine, Indonesian dish made of compressed rice cake in the form of a Cylinder (geometry), cylinder wrapped inside a banana leaf, commonly found in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. Rice is rolled inside a bana ...

, ketan sticky rice, and burasa; or upon traditional soto soups. Serundeng can also be considered a separate dish if mixed with main ingredients, such as ''serundeng daging'', which is fried meat, usually beef, served in this serundeng spiced coconut floss.

Ingredients

Grated coconut flesh forms an essential part of serundeng in Indonesian cuisine. Freshly shredded coconut, instead of grated coconut left over from making

coconut milk Coconut milk is a plant milk extracted from the grated pulp of mature coconuts. The opacity and rich taste of the milky-white liquid are due to its high oil content, most of which is saturated fat. Coconut milk is a traditional food ingred ...

, gives a richer taste. The coconut flesh should be young coconut with a firm texture, and grated to create long pieces. To make serundeng, spices and seasonings like onions, chili peppers, garlic, onion, coriander, turmeric, sugar, tamarind, bay leaves (''daun salam''), lime leaves (''daun jeruk purut''), and

galangal Galangal () is a rhizome of plants in the ginger family Zingiberaceae, with culinary and medicinal uses originating in Indonesia. It is one of four species in the genus ''Alpinia'', and is known for its pungent, aromatic flavor. Greater gal ...

are ground to a paste, and fried. Then, grated coconut is sauteed (fried with minimal or without oil) until golden brown, and mixed with the seasoning paste. Roasted peanuts might be added for additional crunchy texture and taste.

Variations

Serundeng can be mixed with meat in dishes such as ''serundeng daging'' (beef serundeng), sprinkled on top of other dishes such as ''soto'' soup, ketupat or covered all over ''ketan'' (

sticky rice Sticky may refer to: Adhesion *Adhesion, the tendency of dissimilar particles or surfaces to cling to one another *Sticky mat, an adhesive mat used in cleanrooms to lessen contamination from footwear *Sticky note, a generic term for a Post-it Note ...

). In

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

, beef serundeng usually tastes rather sweet because of the generous addition of

coconut sugar Coconut sugar (also known as coco sugar, coconut palm sugar, coco sap sugar or coconut blossom sugar) is a palm sugar produced from the sap of the flower bud stem of the coconut palm. Other types of palm sugar are made from the kithul palm ('' Ca ...

, and it is commonly associated with

Javanese cuisine Javanese cuisine () is the cuisine of Javanese people, a major Native Indonesian, ethnic group in Indonesia in the provinces of Central Java, Yogyakarta, and East Java. Definition Javanese cuisine refers exclusively to the cuisine of Javan ...

. Serundeng fried coconut flakes as a sprinkled dry condiment is also found in Betawi cuisine of

Jakarta Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...

, and Makassar cuisine of South Sulawesi, usually applied upon ''soto'', ''ketan'', or ''burasa'' (rice cake wrapped in banana leaf and cooked in coconut milk). In

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

, the term ''serunding'' refers to meat floss instead, and it can be mixed with grated coconut or not. In Indonesia, meat floss is called ''abon'', and serundeng refers to spiced and sauteed grated coconut.

References

{{Coconut Malaysian cuisine Foods containing coconut

Ingredients

Variations

See also

References