Region: Southeast Asia
Country: Indonesia (and neighboring countries)

Indonesian coconut/ peanut crunch

Serundeng (Indonesian)
Seroendeng (Dutch, Indonesian old spelling)

A crispy burst of flavor

Serundeng is a delightful Javanese side dish, or more accurately, a garnish or topping crafted from finely grated coconut. This particular recipe takes it up a notch with a rich blend of Indonesian spices and crunchy peanuts.

This version of serundeng is a true crowd-pleaser on grilled satay (sate) drizzled with luscious peanut sauce. It also elevates dishes as soto (soup), lontong, and other rice dishes with its irresistible crunch and flavor.

Serundeng wouldn’t be Indonesian if there weren’t thousands of recipes to prepare this dish. For an added twist, serundeng can be combined with beef, which is called serundeng daging. This interesting version resembles the Malaysian serunding, a delectable beef floss with grated coconut.

In the Netherlands, it is known as seroendeng, which is also the old Indonesian spelling. Here it is not only a beloved topping for kipsaté/saté ajam (sate ayam, chicken satay), or a cherished component of a rijsttafel, but it is regularly added to a good old stamppot as well.

Selamat makan!

Serundeng/Seroendeng

Recipe by Chef Franky Buz

0.0 from 0 votes

Cuisine: IndonesianDifficulty: Moderate

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

hour

minutes

Ingredients

200 gr. or 2 tbs of grated coconut
handful of unsalted peanuts
2 shallots
3 cloves of garlic
1 stalk lemongrass
3 tbsp of palm sugar
2 kaffir lime leaves
2 salam leaves
1 tsp of powdered ginger
1 tsp of turmeric
1 tsp of powdered cilantro/coriander seeds
few dried chili peppers (optional)
peanut oil

Directions

Cut the shallots and garlic very small and use a mortar or food processor to make a paste. If desired, also add the (dried) chili peppers at this stage.
Roast the peanuts in the pan over low heat without adding oil. Make sure the peanuts don’t burn.
Use the same pan and heat two tablespoons of peanut oil. Sauté the garlic/onion/chili mixture.

Add the spices: turmeric, ginger, coriander/cilantro seeds to the mixture to finish off your bumbu (paste). Stir well on medium heat.
Bruise the lemongrass stalk and add it to the pan together with the salam leaves and the kaffir lime leaves. Continue stirring over low heat to release the flavor and aromas.
Add the roasted peanuts and grated coconut and stir for 2.5 minutes over low heat. When the mixture is dry and the coconut has been thoroughly roasted (not burned), the serundeng is ready.
I recommend letting the serundeng cool in the pan and then putting the mixture in a sealable container.

Serundeng remains good for weeks, but does loose its crispiness over time.

Notes

Don’t worry about missing one or two typical Indonesian ingredients. The must-haves of this recipe are grated coconut and peanuts. Palm sugar can be replaced with brown sugar, and a good alternative for salam leaves are bay leaves. If there is no peanut oil around, substitute with a neutral cooking oil. Fresh lemongrass can be replaced with powdered lemongrass or some lime juice.

Check out more Indonesian Recipes!