Serundeng

Serundeng

Serundeng daging, fried beef with spicy sauteed grated coconut
Origin
Place of origin	Indonesia
Region or state	Java
Details
Course served	Main course or snack
Serving temperature	Room temperature
Main ingredient(s)	Grated coconut spiced and sauteed and sprinkled upon another dishes, such as fried beef, soto or ketan (sticky rice)

Serundeng is an Indonesian spicy fried coconut flakes, which is made from sautéing grated coconut, and is often used as a side dish to accompany rice.

Ingredients

Grated coconut flesh formed the essential part of serundeng. Freshly shredded coconut, instead of grated coconut leftover from making coconut milk, gives a richer taste. To make a 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 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 or covering all over ketan (sticky rice).

In Indonesia, beef serundeng usually tastes rather sweet because of the generous addition of coconut sugar, and it is commonly associated with Javanese cuisine. Serundeng fried coconut flakes as sprinkled dry condiment is also found in Betawi cuisine of Jakarta, and Makassar cuisine of South Sulawesi, usually applied upon soto, ketan, or burasa (rice in banana leaf cooked in coconut milk).

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