The tender center of young banana palms is used for this dish in Bali, these can be replaced by round cabbage, although this needs to be salted for only 10 minutes.

INGREDIENTS :
600 g (1¼ lb) young banana palm stem
6 tbsp salt
½ cup basic spice paste
1.5 lt (6 cups) duck stock
2 salam leaves
1 stalk lemongrass, bruised salt to taste
½ tbsp black peppercorn, crushed fried
shallots to garnish

PREPARATIONS :
Peel off hard outside layers of the banana stem, cut in half lengthwise and place flat side on carving board. With a sharp knife cut in thin slices. Sprinkle a flat tray with salt, place sliced banana stem on it and sprinkle generously with salt again. Marinade for 45 minutes. Place slices on top of each and press by hand to extract the juice. Repeat process until stems are very dry and soft. Rinse stems thoroughly under running water. Strain and dry well. Combine duck stock and spice paste and bring to boil. Add salam leaves and lemongrass. Simmer for 5 minutes then add shredded banana stem and bring back to boil. Simmer for one hour until stems are soft, but still crunchy. If using cabbage, the cooking time will be much shorter. Season to taste with salt and pepper and garnish with fried shallots.