botok — East Java, Indonesia

Botok is a Javanese preparation in which grated coconut flesh, most often the flesh left over once its milk has been pressed out, is mixed with other ingredients and wrapped in banana leaf to be steamed. The mixture can include fish, dried anchovies, tofu, vegetables or egg, and the parcel is sealed with a toothpick or a stitch of banana-leaf rib before cooking. Once steamed, the filling sets into a soft, pale block with a texture some compare to a young cheese. The dish belongs to the everyday cooking of Java, reported across the Javanese-speaking areas of the island, including the Yogyakarta region, Central Java and East Java. This entry follows the East Javanese household version built on dried anchovies, where botok is prepared as a side dish rather than a centerpiece, eaten alongside rice and a vegetable dish. For this version, grated coconut is combined with a ground paste of shallot, garlic, candlenut and chili, then folded together with dried anchovies, a beaten egg and kaffir lime leaf, and seasoned with salt and a little sugar. The mixture is spooned onto a square of banana leaf, folded into a parcel and secured, then steamed over simmering water until the filling is set and the leaf has released its aroma into the coconut. Botok is thought to have started as a way of reusing coconut flesh that would otherwise be thrown away after the milk was squeezed for other dishes, which explains its plain, absorbent base and the wide range of fillings folded into it from one household to another. The anchovy version favoured in East Java gives a saltier, more savoury result than versions built on tofu or vegetables alone, and it is served warm, unwrapped at the table, cut into pieces with a spoon.