serundeng (spiced grated coconut)

One of the most pleasurable aspects of Asian food, for me, is the dizzying array of condiments and side dishes that often take up as much space on the dinner table, as the main dishes themselves. Like skilful use of punctuation, these little culinary accents, usually saturated with colour, flavour and texture, add just the right punch, in exactly the right places, to a meal and make it that much more memorable.

From amongst the wide range you will find in the south east Asian region, one of my favourites is serundeng, a side dish of spicy sweet and intensely aromatic fresh coconut shreds, that is unfortunately not prepared or seen as commonly these days, except around Hari Raya (Eid).

Once upon a time, no self respecting lontong seller would serve his lontong without a generous sprinkle of serundeng atop the rich and flavourful melange of rice cakes and tender vegetables stewed in spiced coconut milk. Its rich golden hue, speckled with flecks of green and red, make it as beautiful as it is delicious. I'm not certain if serundeng originates from Malaysia or Indonesia, though most believe it should be credited to Indonesia. You will find it in both countries though, as well as here in Singapore, in each case, with slight variations.

When you ask for serundeng in Singapore, you will get spiced grated coconut with either dried krill or belacan added for flavour. Some local cooks will also add minced beef, chicken or fish, though the main component remains grated coconut. A more lux version, called Serundeng Daging is made from beef, cooked long and slow, then pounded and shredded finely. The beefy shreds will then be cooked yet again with spices and coconut milk until quite dessicated and deeply infused with the spices.

In Malaysia, serundeng refers to the shredded beef version while serundeng kelapa denotes the grated coconut version. Indonesians on the other hand say serundeng when they mean spiced grated coconut (as do we) but call the beef version abon sapi. Interestingly, the Indonesians also include peanuts in the coconut version. All are delicious and well worth exploring, if you enjoy south east Asian food.

It takes some time and effort to make good serundeng but when you sniff in it's gorgeous aroma, even before you taste this ambrosial treat, any fatigue will melt away. It's also wondrously versatile and can make the simplest meal of just white rice and fried eggs or fish, unforgettable. I call it fairy dust, because everything it touches becomes culinary gold, and I will not eat lontong without it! It adds sparkle to nasi lemak, rendang, paru goreng (spicy fried beef lung) bergedel (potato croquettes) complements acar and sambal belacan, and is a heaven appointed match with glutinous rice. In Indonesia, it's also a common garnish for dishes like mee soto in addition to being a favourite topping for rice.

As it goes with so many dishes, it's really worthwhile making a large batch. In fact the amount I made for this post, lasted barely 4 days in my house. My boys pour it on EVERYTHING, and love it beaten into eggs for a serundeng omelette. It will easily keep for 2 weeks, in a dry, securely lidded container in the fridge. Always take portions with a clean dry spoon and avoid touching directly with fingers as coconut once contaminated, spoils very easily. The longer you fry the serundeng, the drier it will be and the longer it will last. To dry it out, stir continuously over gentle heat until toasty and crumbly.

If there is one 'secret' to good serundeng, it's to use fresh, skinned, unsqueezed grated coconut, still saturated with all it's natural juices and milk. Dessicated coconut, while easier to handle and much faster to cook, will produce a clearly inferior version, if you have tried one made with fresh coconut. To make it more manageable and extend it's shelf life a little, the coconut is lightly pre-roasted to dry off some of the moisture so it will be less clumpy and easier to mix with the fried spices.

In my next post, I will show you my favourite use for serundeng, and the one dish that is guaranteed to  derail any diet I try to stay on, even more so than cheesecake or anything covered in chocolate. So, I make it very infrequently as a very special treat, when I have been very, very good, or when I want to show off Singapore's culinary treasures ;)

serundeng (spiced grated coconut)

prep 35 mins        cook 25 mins        serves 15

Spice Paste

8 fresh red chillies

3 onions, peeled and cut

8 cloves garlic, peeled and cut

4 cm length fresh turmeric, peeled and cut

3 thick slices peeled galangal, thinly sliced

2 stalks lemongrass, discard coarse outer leaves and thinly slice soft, pale inner core

1 tbsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

6 tbsp dried krill, rinsed, squeezed as dry as possible

6 kaffir (makrut) lime leaves

2 slices tamarind (actually dried garcinia slices, not tamarind pod pulp)

600g (6 cups) fresh grated, skinless coconut, lightly dry roasted until light gold

1 tbsp soft brown sugar

1 tbsp red sugar

1/2 - 1 tsp salt

2 small turmeric leaves, ribs discarded, leaves finely shredded

Combine all spice paste ingredients and process or pound to a smooth paste.

Heat 5 tbsp oil in a pan or wok and when moderately hot, add the krill, lime leaves and tamarind. Fry for 3 minutes or until krill is golden and beginning to crisp.

Add the spice paste and fry, stirring constantly, until oil seeps out and the mixture is fragrant. Add the coconut, brown and red sugar and salt.

Stir continuously over moderate to low heat until coconut is evenly coloured, light and fluffy. Don't stop stirring for longer than half a minute as coconut is oily and burns very easily.

Do not cook for too long or the coconut will be too dry and grainy. If preparing as a topping for savoury snacks, leave the coconut a little moist so it will adhere and not crumble off easily. When coconut is almost done, add the shredded turmeric leaves and stir through for about 2 minutes.

Turn off heat and keep stirring until bottom of pan is no longer hot to prevent the coconut at the bottom from over browning. When cold, store in a clean, dry, air tight container and keep refrigerated until consumed.

click here for printable recipe