Jackfruit and Spicy Meat Are a Match Made in Java

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Food

Jackfruit and Spicy Meat Are a Match Made in Java

If you ever have ever craved a heavy, sweet fruit paired with a spicy tough meat, Nasi Gudeg is the dish for you. Hailing from from Yogakarta, a city in the center of Java, it's the comfort dish that Indonesians adore.
Gudeg in Yoga

If you ever have ever craved a heavy, sweet fruit paired with a spicy tough meat, Nasi Gudeg is the dish for you. A unique and some may say odd taste, it's the comfort dish that Indonesians adore. It hails from from Yogakarta, a city in the center of Java, Indonesia's most popular island, filling the bellies of both take-out restaurant patrons and high-end establishments alike.

Gudeg begins by boiling young Jackfruit or Guri, a locally farmed crop, for over 12 hours with coconut milk and chilies, creating a sickly-sweet-yet-spicy, warm mush.

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Gudeg in Yoga
Gudeg in Yoga
Gudeg in Yoga

The helpful staff at Gudeg Yu Djum, the most popular establishment in the area, offers a selection of sides that match the Gudeg, such as tofu or chicken. The most popular of all is hot Krechek, boiled cow skin and more spices, which is difficult to turn down.

Gudeg in Yoga
Gudeg in Yoga
Gudeg in Yoga
Gudeg in Yoga

To round out this dish, Telur Pindang (egg slow-boiled with soy sauce), chilies (yet more spices), and Areh Gurih (coconut milk dressing) is included.

Gudeg in Yoga
Gudeg in Yoga

Nasi Gudeg is a heavy dish. It's most popular at breakfast and lunch and is the take-out food of choice around here. While Gudeg joints are found throughout the city in a variety of establishments, from markets to street stalls and upscale establishments, too, to-go meals are prepared in hand woven besek's (boxes made from bamboo) and packed with palm leaves and trussed up into tiny boxes, making it easy to carry eight to ten back to the hungry workplace.

Gudeg in Yoga

It's hot, spicy, and oddly sweet, but it will fill you up for hours.

Gudeg in Yoga