Maritime Southeast Asia · Volume 47, The Odalan Calendar, the Base Genep and the Island That Kept Its Pig
Jukut ares
The rice highlands, Kintamani and the Batur caldera
Illustration
- Time
- 1 hour
Jukut means vegetable, ares the pale, fibrous inner core of the young banana stem. Sources genuinely split on whether this is primarily a ceremonial dish, tied to weddings and temple ritual, or a genuine everyday one, with warming, digestive properties cited as the everyday rationale; no source settles the question with real evidence either way, and this chapter reports both readings rather than picking one.
As tradition built it
Serves 4. About 1 hour.
Ingredients
- 1 young banana stem core, about 500g, outer layers removed, finely sliced
- 200g pork or chicken, diced small
- 150g base genep
- 500ml coconut milk
- 500ml water or light stock
- 2 daun salam
Method
- Soak the sliced banana stem in salted water for 20 minutes to draw out excess bitterness, then drain.
- Sauté the base genep in a little oil until fragrant, then add the pork or chicken and cook until lightly coloured.
- Add the banana stem, coconut milk, water and daun salam.
- Simmer gently 30 to 40 minutes, until the banana stem is completely tender and the soup has thickened slightly.
- Season and serve hot.
What a modern chef changes
Even, controlled tenderising for a genuinely fibrous vegetable
Method
- Vacuum-seal the sliced banana stem with a little of the coconut milk and base genep, and cook sous vide at 85°C for 90 minutes, a far more even and controllable route to full tenderness than an open simmer, which tends to overcook the outer layers before the core softens.
- Reduce the remaining broth separately and pass it through a chinois for a cleaner, silkier finish, then combine with the sous vide banana stem to serve.