Pepes Mlanding Teri — Central Java, Indonesia

Pepes mlanding teri is a banana-leaf parcel of tiny dried anchovies and mlanding, the flat, slightly bitter seeds of the lamtoro (leucaena) tree, bound together with a wet spice paste and steamed or grilled until the leaf itself turns fragrant and faintly smoky. The pepes technique, common across Java, protects delicate ingredients from direct heat while letting them absorb the aromatics folded through the leaf. It is reported from Central Java, where lamtoro trees grow readily along field edges and their young seed pods are gathered and used much like a bean, often paired with small dried anchovies that are cheap, salty and widely stocked in home kitchens. The combination is a modest, everyday dish rather than a festive one. To prepare it, shallot, garlic, chilli, candlenut, turmeric, galangal and kencur are ground into a smooth paste and mixed with the anchovies, shelled mlanding seeds, shredded kaffir lime and salam leaves, and a little grated coconut for body. Portions of the mixture are spooned onto squares of banana leaf, folded and pinned shut with a toothpick or skewer, then steamed for around 30 minutes so the flavours meld, before a final quick grilling over charcoal or a dry pan to dry the leaf and deepen the aroma. What distinguishes this version is the use of mlanding rather than the more common petai or plain vegetables in pepes, giving a firmer bite and a slightly bitter, grassy note that plays against the salt of the anchovies.