Here is my third and last post about my trip to Bali in June and the cooking class I took while there. I was really looking forward to this since I had enjoyed similar experiences in other countries. Once again I looked for a local experience and found a farm outskirts Ubud which looked perfect for an immersion in this country’s cuisine.
The day started with a visit to the local market to see first-hand some of the ingredients we were going to be using later. It was interesting to learn about the spices that Balinese people use everyday since we don’t have many of them in Spain.
After the visit, we continued our way in a van towards the organic farm. Once there we went for a walk through the huge orchard. They have a large number of interesting fruit trees such as the coffee or cacao ones. At the same time, we were collecting leaves, pods, and beans in a bamboo basket for our dishes.
Later, we started to cook and prepare different food as chicken satay, sweet-sour tempeh, tuna with sambal matah sauce, Balinese chicken curry and a dessert of a black rice pudding. I don’t hesitate that the Balinese curry was my favorite dish and this is the reason I chose it for a blog post. For some of the ingredients, there is a similar one that you will easily find in Asian grocery stores or even on Amazon.
INGREDIENTS FOR BALINESE CHICKEN CURRY for 2 people
500 ml water
250 gr chicken
150 gr diced potatoes
150 ml coconut milk
125 gr carrots
1 stalk lemongrass
1 salam leaf (or 1 curry leaf as substitution)
1 tbsp brown sugar
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
The juice of two lemons
2 tbsp Bumbu Bali*
INGREDIENTS FOR BUMBU BALI
2 curry leaves (easy to find in Asian grocery stores)
2 tbsp galangal powder (easy to find in Amazon / Asian grocery stores)
5 cm (2 inches) fresh ginger
½ tbsp ginger powder
4 tbsp coconut oil
2 chili peppers
1 tbsp turmeric
1 small shallot
1 garlic clove
1 small red pepper
1 stick lemongrass
½ tbsp coriander powder
½ tbsp salt
¼ tsp shrimp paste (*or 1 tbsp mushroom sauce)
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp white pepper
½ tsp sesame seeds
¼ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp cumin
METHOD
Start by making the Bumbu Bali first. Finely chop all ingredients except the salam leaf, lemongrass and spices. Grind them in a pestle or use a blender if you feel lazy (if so add a little water). Set aside.
Heat the coconut oil over medium heat, fry the grounded spices, add the salam leaf, lemongrass and salt. Stir constantly for 5 minutes until you get a pleasant strong aroma. Add the previous mix and set aside.
Now prepare the Balinese chicken curry so put the chicken into a pan. Add the Bumbu Bali, curry leaves, lemongrass, salt and pepper. Stir well. After a couple of minutes, pour the water so it covers the chicken and cook for another 10 minutes. Then add the vegetables until water cooks off. Hereafter add the coconut milk, brown sugar and lemon juice until the curry becomes thick.
Serve immediately and… buon appetito!
Photography: CarlotaFariña
More on Instagram: #lotainbali
