Get a taste of the jackfruit of all trades at Gudeg Bu Hj. Amad

Yogyakarta is nicknamed the “City of Gudeg”. This moniker comes from a traditional food originally made in Yogyakarta, which consists of young unripe jackfruit stewed with melinjo (gnetum) leaves, palm sugar, coconut milk and spices for several hours. 

The history of gudeg can be traced back to the 1500s when the Mataram Kingdom was built in Kotagede, Yogyakarta. At that time, excess jackfruit, melinjo and coconut trees were cut down, and this inspired the workers to invent gudeg. 

 

Whenever I am in Yogyakarta, eating gudeg is always on my list. There is no better gudeg elsewhere than having the original one. I have tried many gudegs, but since I prefer it savoury and dry, my favourite gudeg is Gudeg Bu Hj. Amad, which has been around since 1965.

 

Gudeg is always served with krecek or a spicy cattle skin stew. Both dishes are served with steamed rice. There are two variants of gudeg in Yogyakarta: wet gudeg or dry gudeg. The wet gudeg has more coconut milk. The taste of gudeg in Yogyakarta tends to be sweet and has a reddish colour due to the addition of teak leaves. 

 

When ordering, you need to choose the dish that accompanies gudeg such as chicken breast, chicken thigh, hard-boiled Pindang egg, gizzard, tofu, or a combination of two or three dishes. I always order Gudeg Telur Ayam Paha Atas (gudeg with egg and chicken thigh) because the portion is satisfying. Amad’s gudeg is not too sweet and it is flavourful. The krecek chunks are big, a bit spicy, not too soft or too chewy. Mixing gudeg with krecek produce a balanced flavour. The chicken and egg are tasty, as they are cooked together with the gudeg.

 

Since Amad’s Gudeg is dry, it can last for a couple of days. You can even take it overseas as a souvenir, as they will put it in a nice besek (a small box made from woven bamboo).