Daun Jeruk — Makrut Lime Leaf

Java, Bali and Sumatra; the leaf of a tree native to mainland and maritime Southeast Asia

Origin

Daun jeruk is the leaf of the makrut lime, Citrus hystrix, a tree of mainland and island Southeast Asia that has long been grown in Indonesian home gardens and is called jeruk purut in Java. The leaf belongs to the whole archipelago and is cooked in Java, Bali and Sumatra among other regions, carried by the household cook who picks it from a tree at the back of the house. It belongs to the tradition of the fragrant leaf, alongside salam and pandan, added to stocks, curries and fried dishes for aroma rather than bulk. Lara Lee, in Coconut & Sambal, writes of it as a leaf of her Indonesian kitchen, torn or finely sliced into sambal and curries.

Description

The leaf is a double leaf: a glossy, dark green blade joined end to end with a second, smaller blade by a winged stalk, so that it resembles a figure eight. The leaf of Citrus hystrix is leathery and carries oil glands that release a sharp, floral citrus scent when it is bent or torn. It is used whole and bruised in coconut-milk braises and soups, or the midrib is stripped out and the blade cut into very fine threads for sambal, fried fish cakes and raw relishes. The fruit, with its knobbled rind, is a separate ingredient; the leaf is the principal part used in Indonesian cooking.

III

The Thread

—Both use makrut lime leaf torn into a coconut-milk broth to carry a citrus perfume through the fat. The Thai soup pairs it with galangal and lemongrass in a sour, clear-edged broth, while the Indonesian leaf more often sits inside a ground rempah braise. Thai

—Both rely on aromatic leaves put into hot fat so that their oil passes into the dish. The Indian tadka is made with curry leaf, a different plant with a savoury, nutty scent, and is poured over a finished dal or vegetable dish, whereas the lime leaf is usually cooked in from the beginning. Indian

—Both add a bundle or leaf of aromatics to a long-cooked liquid and lift it out at the end, so that perfume is given without a visible ingredient. The French bouquet is herbal and earthy, built of thyme, bay and parsley, whereas the lime leaf gives a bright citrus top note. French

Flavour Context

Daun jeruk is eaten with coconut-milk braises, grilled and fried fish, chicken, fish cakes and sambal, and with the clear soups of Java and Bali. The structural reason is that its volatile citrus oil cuts through coconut fat and the heaviness of fried food, adding lift without acidity or heat. It is not drunk, though it is sometimes steeped in wedang by the household; the usual companions at the table are steamed rice and a sharp sambal.

V · Quality Hierarchy

Leaves picked the same day from a tree of Citrus hystrix in the cook's own… Leaves bought in bunches from a market grower, still on the twig, glossy and fragrant,…

VI · Sensory Tests

smell: Bend a leaf and rub it between the fingers: the scent should rise at once, sharp, floral and clearly…

VII · Where the dish lives or dies

The leaf lives or dies at the moment its oil is released: it must be bruised or torn, or sliced as finely as a thread,…

Pillars V — VII

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