Jamu kunyit asam is the bright, tart-sweet member of Indonesia's jamu family of herbal tonics — fresh turmeric pounded and boiled with tamarind and palm sugar into a vivid orange drink. Sour from the tamarind, sweet from the sugar and earthy-warm from the turmeric, it is sold by the glass from baskets carried through the streets and bottled in markets. Distinct from the wider world of jamu, this is the everyday turmeric-tamarind tonic, drunk warm or cold for its fresh, cleansing taste.
Jamu is Indonesia's deep-rooted tradition of plant-based tonics, long associated with Java, where it has been prepared and sold for centuries — a heritage recognised in 2023 when UNESCO inscribed jamu culture on its list of intangible cultural heritage. Kunyit asam is one of the most popular individual jamu, built on turmeric and tamarind, and is widely drunk as an everyday refreshment. While popular tradition credits jamu with many wellbeing benefits, such health claims are not established here; the drink is presented simply as a traditional turmeric-tamarind tonic.
The first taste is sour and fruity from the tamarind, quickly balanced by palm-sugar sweetness, with turmeric lending an earthy, faintly bitter warmth and a brilliant golden-orange colour. A little tang lingers on the tongue, fresh and clean. Drunk cold it is thirst-quenching; warm it feels soothing and gently spiced.
Fresh turmeric is pounded or grated and boiled to draw out both its colour and its earthy flavour — the pigment curcumin tints the water a deep orange, while heat mellows the raw root's bitterness. Tamarind pulp is steeped and pressed to release its fruit acids, and palm sugar dissolves in to balance the sourness. The brew is strained well, since turmeric leaves a gritty sediment, then served warm or chilled.
Variations
A squeeze of lime or a knob of ginger sharpens it, and some cooks finish with a separate spoonful of thick rice-flour-and-coconut sediment (the beras kencur kind of topping) on special versions. It is often sold beside its bitter cousin jamu beras kencur and other single-herb jamu, and modern cafes serve it as a turmeric-tamarind cooler over ice.
On the Palate
Where Jamu Kunyit Asam sits in the Indonesian flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4How it's made
8 steps · 15 min active + 10 min waiting
- 16 min
Peel and roughly chop the fresh turmeric, then pound or blend it with a little water.
- 28 min
Soak the tamarind pulp in warm water, then squeeze and strain to extract the sour juice.
- 33 min
Bring water to a simmer and add the pounded turmeric.
- 41 min
Pour in the tamarind juice and stir.
- 53 min
Add palm sugar and a small pinch of salt, simmering until dissolved.
- 64 min
Cook gently for a few minutes until fragrant and deep orange.
- 72 min
Strain the drink thoroughly to remove turmeric grit and tamarind solids.
Watch outStrain the drink thoroughly — turmeric leaves a gritty sediment, so a good strain is what gives a clean, smooth cup.
- 81 min
Serve warm, or cool and pour over ice.
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