Anyone who cooks Indonesian food will recognise it straight away. Even before a dish is served, a fresh citrus scent fills the kitchen. Not sharp like lemon and not tart like lime, but green, vibrant and almost floral. It is an aroma that makes a dish instantly recognisable. In many Indonesian kitchens, that scent comes from a single ingredient: jeruk purut.

What is jeruk purut?

Jeruk purut, also known as daun jeruk, is the leaf of the Citrus hystrix. The leaf is dark green, glossy and has a double shape, with two halves joined together.

Unlike lemon or lime, jeruk purut is not used to add acidity to a dish. The leaf is mainly added for the aroma it releases during cooking. According to Executive Chef Hendra Subandrio, jeruk purut primarily adds fragrance, freshness and depth to a dish.

“The scent is intense, fresh and citrusy. When you squeeze a leaf between your fingers, it releases a scent of tropical gardens and rain showers.” — Executive Chef Hendra Subandrio

An important aromatic ingredient in Indonesian cuisine

Indonesian cuisine is all about layers of flavour. A dish rarely features a single dominant flavour. Spicy, savoury, sweet and fresh notes complement one another and work together to create balance. Aromatic leaves play a key role in this.

Jeruk purut is therefore often used in combination with other fragrant ingredients such as lemongrass, galangal and salam leaves. While those ingredients add warm and spicy notes, jeruk purut provides a fresh, citrusy contrast. According to Chef Hendra, you notice it immediately if the leaf is missing from a dish.

In many dishes, the leaf is lightly crushed before being added. This releases the aromatic oils, allowing the characteristic aroma to slowly infuse curries, soups and stews.

An ingredient that you mainly smell

A notable thing about jeruk purut is that you often don’t even see the ingredient on your plate. In many dishes, the leaves are cooked along with the rest of the ingredients and removed later, while the aroma remains in the sauce or stock.

During cooking, the fragrant oils from the leaves slowly dissolve into the dish. This gives the dish a fresh, almost grassy citrus scent that is difficult to replicate with other citrus fruits.

Two methods of preparation

How and when you add jeruk purut has a significant impact on the final result. Some chefs add it directly to the bumbu, while others add it later, explains Chef Hendra.

In the sauce on the left, the leaves have been finely chopped and cooked along with the bumbu. As they cook, the aromatic oils are released and the fragrance infuses the spice paste. Because the leaves are added at an early stage, the sauce develops a deep, rounded flavour in which the citrus aroma is fully integrated into the dish.

In the sauce on the right, the leaves have been bruised and added later. This ensures that the citrusy aroma remains more distinct. The fragrance stays fresher and lighter, as the aromatic oils are not cooked for as long. According to Chef Hendra, adding them later gives the dish more bite, whereas this is lost somewhat if the leaves are added earlier.

Small leaf, big impact

In many Indonesian dishes, cooking is all about nuance. Small changes in technique or timing can take a dish in a different direction. The moment an ingredient is added can determine whether a flavour becomes deep and warm, or remains fresh and distinct.

Jeruk purut is a good example of this. The leaf itself is small, but the way it is used can greatly influence the balance of a dish.

Taste it for yourself

Curious to find out how jeruk purut is used in a dish?

Visit Restaurant Blauw and taste for yourself how jeruk purut, together with other herbs and spices, bring the flavours of Indonesian cuisine to life.