Jukut urab (Indonesian salad) with lots of coconut and spices

Jukut urab is a traditional Balinese vegetable dish that is often served as a side dish with rice meals. Jukut means vegetables in Balinese, while urab refers to a mixed salad with a coconut dressing.

The salad actually has everything you crave: it is spicy, savory, and has a touch of freshness from the lime. The jukut urab is often served in combination with grilled meat or fish and is popular during ceremonies and traditional meals.

Adding fried garlic to this Indonesian salad gives it a delicious savory umami flavor. By the way, don't worry about having to go to the trouble of frying garlic yourself. Asian grocery stores sell this gem ready-made in jars; by now, we use it for just about everything!

Preparation method Balinese jukut urab (Indonesian salad)

• For the bumbu, grind the shallots, garlic, turmeric, ginger, chili pepper, palm sugar, and the juice of a lime together. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Fry the bumbu over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Let cool completely and set aside for later.
• Cook the spinach for 1 minute in boiling water. Remove from the pan and place in ice water. Do the same with the bean sprouts and the runner beans.
• Squeeze the moisture out of the spinach and chop finely.
• Mix the spinach, bean sprouts, runner beans, grated coconut, fried onions, fried garlic, and 1 tablespoon of the bumbu together. Season to taste with extra pepper, salt, or bumbu.
• Divide the jukut urab over a salad bowl and sprinkle extra coconut and fried onions over the salad.
• Serve the Indonesian salad as a side dish with a hot meal.