# Sayur Ares

A traditional banana trunk curry from Lombok, Indonesia, known for its warm, spicy, and hearty flavors with a mildly sweet and uniquely textured banana trunk.

- Cuisine: Thai
- Category: Soup
- Language: en

## Ingredients

- 1 medium banana trunk (ares)
- Salt
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 300 ml thin coconut milk
- 100 ml thick coconut cream
- 1 small cinnamon stick
- 1 star anise
- 0.5 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 2 cloves
- 5 shallots
- 3 garlic cloves
- 4 curly red chilies
- 3 big red chilies
- 1 thumb turmeric
- 1 thumb aromatic ginger (kencur)
- 1 tbsp plant-based shrimp paste
- sugar
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 kaffir lime leaf
- 1 stalk lemongrass (bruised)

## Instructions

1. Take the banana trunk and remove the outer layers to reveal the edible core.
2. Slice the edible core of the banana trunk.
3. Salt the sliced banana trunk thoroughly (without water) and let it rest for 1 hour.
4. Squeeze gently to remove excess moisture from the salted banana trunk.
5. Toast the dry spices (cinnamon, star anise, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, cloves).
6. Pound the toasted dry spices into a coarse powder.
7. Blend the fresh spices (shallots, garlic cloves, curly red chilies, big red chilies, turmeric, aromatic ginger, plant-based shrimp paste, salt & sugar) into a smooth paste.
8. In a pot, heat coconut oil and sauté the blended fresh paste along with the pounded dry spices until fragrant.
9. Add the aromatics (bay leaves, kaffir lime leaf, bruised lemongrass) to the pot and stir well.
10. Toss in the banana trunk and mix to coat evenly.
11. Pour in the thin coconut milk and let it simmer gently, uncovered, for about 1 hour, allowing the trunk to fully absorb the flavors.
12. Add thick coconut cream at the end, stir gently, and simmer for a final 5–10 minutes until glossy and rich.
13. Serve the Sayur Ares.

## Equipment

- Knife
- Cutting board
- Strainer
- Pan
- Mortar and pestle
- Spoon
- Pot

## Tips

- Salting the banana trunk for hours helps to tenderize the fiber.
- To let all the flavors come out, toast the dry spices.
- Pound the dry spices before blending them with the fresh spices for a smoother paste.

## Source

- Original video: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DJ7sVIeTOr3/
- Recipe page: https://www.cliprecipe.com/recipe/0c446428-49c8-48cc-ba54-6e08b1721b0e
- Extracted: 2025-10-05

Extracted from the video by Clip Recipe (https://www.cliprecipe.com). Quantities and steps are as stated or shown in the video. Site guide for agents: https://www.cliprecipe.com/llms.txt