Cookin' Up a Storm: The True Taste of Bali

Once we finished our Klungkung Market tour we headed to the Alila Manggis Resort.  We entered the secluded seaside resort through a gated entrance and drove on a windy road toward the ocean.  The resort is a tiny white washed, red roofed building with 12 rooms. It has magnificent gardens, palm trees planted everywhere and, huge square pool.  Lots of lazy days and lounging around can be accomplished here.  This is the home of the first Balinese cooking school in Indonesia.  The resort  has its own organic garden.   Most of the area for gathering is in open air rooms.   Although it was hot, the high ceilings with fans and the breeze from the ocean made it comfortable. 

We were greeted by the chef, Pegeg Adnyana.  We were asked to relax at a table laden with fresh spices and vegetables grown in Bali.  We were given a glass of water and a cup of lemon grass tea. Delish. The chef  welcomed us and discussed the ingredients we would be using to prepare our lunch.  He cut some of them up and passed them around as he talked about Bali and all the spices, vegetables and ingredients readily available and used in everyday cooking.   Beautiful smells, except one.....(shrimp paste, I think...) beautiful colors.  Sitting on comfy couches, listening the the head chef talk about cooking and culture, fans rotating high above, lemongrass tea,  the gentle ocean breeze, palm trees.... the ocean steps away...here was the real Bali, or the Bali we all envision anyway.

The table: 5 rices of Bali



Beans of Bali

Ginger

of course, we cook with flowers too




Some of the peppers...the green is the hot one



I am a new fan of lemongrass!
I know Ruth loves this stuff too!



on the right is the Bali lime- a bit stronger

 

lime leaf




hand made palm sugar


Let the cooking begin!  We moved from the guest area to the cooking area which was actually the open expanse of their dining room set up for our class.  It was a large open room facing the ocean.  Ten cooking stations were waiting for us, ingredients chopped, utensils, ulekans (traditional Balinese mortar and pestle), and individual gas cook tops for all. I picked an end spot closest to the garden.  I love my space.... There was green green grass, palm trees, flowers surrounding us and a lovely koi pond one step down. Not bad. The whole scene puts you in the 'mood' to learn Eastern Balinese cooking.






my cooking station



yes. I too was amazed they gave me a knife



making Bumbu Bali (Balinese curry paste)



first you throw everything into your ulekan

 

It looks like this, a paste,  when finely ground.
A great way to get me to eat veggies!



When your arm is tired, its time to look for your ship.......

 

Bumbu Kacang (peanut sauce)
time to grind away again

 .

my watermelon drink. I added some Bali lime...



making nasi goreng (fried rice)

 

my decorated rice- all mine!

the finished table



My plate .......Yum


We really made a lot of things today.  I am thankful everything was cut up and measured for us.  We only had to dump things into bowls, mix, or cook.  Cooking with a  wok and quickly stirring the veggies, shrimp, chicken, rice and egg was a challenge. Ready in seconds!  I was also thankful for the clean up crew to take it all away...bring it...take it away... so easy this Balinese cooking!  The mortar and pestle is the toughest work of all.  It takes a ton of arm muscle to crush all the ingredients into a paste and we made 3 different pastes. Never use a Cuisinart we are told! The key to their dishes is their Bumbu Bali paste....17 ingredients.  A little of this curry paste goes into most dishes... All of the dishes were ingredient intensive.  Everything fresh and locally grown.

What I loved about this cooking is the freshness of the ingredients.  I don't think we can find all the ingredients in American markets easily.   The colors, the flavors and the smells draw you in.

We made Indonesian fried rice, chicken skewers with peanut sauce, braised squid with prawns, curry of tofu and soybean cake with veggies, and cassava leaves braised in coconut milk.  We then sat at a long table with a glass or wine or a cold beer and ate it all..... Yum.  I have the recipes..... We can recreate this sometime when we all get together!  We all received a diploma and an apron when we left.  Nice Tour.  Nice Touch.

My new favorite things: Bali Lime, lemongrass, Bumbu Bali and Bumbu Kacang.

As I headed back to the ship, I traveled on the Tender in style ... appropriately..  with some of Bali's finest treasures!  At least some of Bali is coming home with me!