What to use instead of daun salam
Quick answer
The closest option is Bay leaf, rated not recommended. The substitution the English name invites and the reason this record exists. Bay laurel is Lauraceae and cineole-led; salam is Myrtaceae and tea-like. Putting bay into a rendang adds a eucalyptus note the dish has never had, and it is identifiable in the finished pot where salam is not. The leaves look similar and share a translated name, and they have nothing else in common.
It will not do for: Rendang, soto, gulai and opor, which is every dish that calls for salam; Any dish where the other whole aromatics are already carrying the identifiable notes.
All recorded options
Ranked by suitability. Ratios are given only where they are defensible, and always with their basis — by weight or by volume — because spice densities differ.
Bay leaf
Not recommendedThe substitution the English name invites and the reason this record exists. Bay laurel is Lauraceae and cineole-led; salam is Myrtaceae and tea-like. Putting bay into a rendang adds a eucalyptus note the dish has never had, and it is identifiable in the finished pot where salam is not. The leaves look similar and share a translated name, and they have nothing else in common.
| Flavour | Aroma | Colour | Heat |
|---|---|---|---|
| unrelated | unrelated | close | n/a |
Works for
- Nothing. Recorded so that a reader following an English translation finds the warning rather than the instruction
Does not work for
- Rendang, soto, gulai and opor, which is every dish that calls for salam
- Any dish where the other whole aromatics are already carrying the identifiable notes
Cuisine: Substantial. Bay is a European and Mediterranean aromatic and reads as one; an Indonesian braise made with it tastes like a European braise with coconut in it.
Why there is no second option: Recorded as the only option precisely because it is a poor one, and saying so is the useful part. Daun salam is Syzygium polyanthum, a relative of clove and allspice; bay is Laurus nobilis and unrelated. They are substituted for each other because both are large dried leaves used whole in slow cooking, which is a resemblance in method rather than in flavour. Curry leaf and kaffir lime leaf were considered and are further away still. An Indonesian dish made with bay tastes of bay. Editorial judgement.
The better answer where salam is unavailable is to leave it out. A dish missing a quiet background aromatic is flatter; a dish with the wrong assertive one is wrong.