Jukut Ares

Jukut Ares is a light, herbaceous Balinese soup whose principal ingredient is the tender inner stem of the banana plant, called "ares" in Balinese, combined with young jackfruit and long beans. The pale pink banana pith is first shredded and squeezed with salt to draw out the bitter sap, then rinsed repeatedly and briefly cooked with the vegetables until everything is just tender. The broth is finished with thin coconut milk, lemon basil (kemangi), shallots, garlic, and a long, slow fried spice base of coriander and candlenut, with fresh lime at the table.

The soup belongs to the everyday repertoire of Balinese home kitchens rather than the temple offerings or tourist buffets, and it is most associated with the island's central and northern villages. It is common at small warung in the rice country around Ubud, Tabanan and Bangli, and at the weekly market stalls in Buleleng, where it is ladled from wide clay pots and served with steamed rice, sambal matah, and a wedge of lime. Outside Bali the same idea shows up under related names in Lombok and parts of Java, but the Balinese combination of banana pith, young jackfruit, lemon basil and a thin coconut broth is the one that defines the dish.