Cooking @ Bumbu Bali (Bali-Day 5)

For our last day in Bali we signed up for Bumbu Bali's Cooking School to learn more about Balinese Food.




We were picked up from our Hotel at 9am and were given a tour of their restaurant. The design of the restaurant was very unique as the kitchen and dining areas were all housed in different Balinese Huts within one big compound. There were several small gardens where they were growing some vegetables, herbs and spices.


Herbs and Vegetable Garden


Dining Area


Bumbu Bali Kitchen: This is where we had our cooking class

Our cooking class included a nice breakfast of assorted Balinese Desserts and Fruits. Everything was bought fresh from the local market and prepared on the morning itself.



After breakfast our cooking class began with our teacher Pak Bagus introducing us to the basic ingredients of Balinese Cuisine. There was a total of 20 different recipes that needed to be prepared and each of us took turns preparing 1 dish while the others helped by telling how much of what ingredients to put in.




Dishes prepared included Ayam Betutu, Satay Ayam, Urub Jagung and Lawar Ledang. May cooked Be Celeng Base Manis while I prepared some of the Satay Lilit and Satay Ayam.


Be Celeng Base Manis (Pork in Sweet Soya Sauce)


Chicken, Beef and Minced Seafood Satay


Pecelan (Vegetable Salad in Peanut Dressing)


Lawar Gedang (Green Papaya Salad with Prawns)


Urub Jagung (Sweet Corn and Coconut Snack


After all the cooking, the team at Bumbu Bali plated all our meals and served it to us for lunch. Haha surprisingly most of the dishes were not only edible but pretty good. Maybe I'm being bias since we made it =P



Overall this was good way to end our trip in Bali. The only thing we wished for was to have cooked a little more since it was one stove to be shared by 12 people. The price per person with market visit is USD 75 and without is USD 67.5.


Contact Information:
Address: Jl. Pratama, Tanjung Benoa - PO Box 132 Nusa Dua, 80363, Bali, Indonesia
Tel: +62-361-771256
Website: www.balifoods.com

Nasi Padang @ Restoran Sederhana

For our 4th day in Bali we really wanted to try what the locals eat when they go out. Our guide Ade, took us to his favorite Nasi Padang Restaurant called Restoran Sederhana for dinner.



This was our first Nasi Padang and we were definitely impressed with the speed and spread of the food!

Minutes after we ordered a Teh Tarik, our waiter brought us a wide variety of dishes together with rice. We were only charged on the dishes that we ate. Being hungry and greedy we had a piece of everything that was on the table including an order of Sate Lilit that was cooked right outside.




Most of the dishes tasted alright and that is because it was served cold. We did however enjoy a few dishes such as the deep-fried omelet, curry squid and the Sate Lilit. I couldn't tell what kind of sate it was because it was drenched in a very thick gravy that tasted like Mushroom Sauce. We liked the gravy so much that we also used it as a dip for our omelet and shrimp cracker.





For dessert we had a Pudding that was made from coconut and palm sugar. We really liked the strong flavor from the palm sugar.



The place is definitely worth a visit for anyone that would like to sample what the locals it. This must be quite a good place since it was quite packed that night. Our meal only came up to USD 17 for all the dishes we had.

Contact Information
Address: Next to Billabong Outlet in Kuta
Tel: N/A

Excellent Balinese Food @ Rajas (Day-3 Bali)

Located in Nusa Dua Resort, Rajas is an institution in Bali that serves up excellent Balinese Cuisine. We decided to give it a try since it was located just right next to our resort.




The menu was quite small but it had a lot of Balinese dishes that we really wanted to try! It took us a while to decide but we finally settled on a starter, soup and one meat course.

Prior to our meal we were first served a bowl of Balinese Crackers and an Amuse Bouche of Quail Egg. The crackers contained quite a few spices especially Cardamom.





For starters we had a sample of Balinese Appetizers. Worth noting was the Be Sampi Mesitsit (Grilled Shredded Beef with Lime Dressing) and Lawar Kelungah Sareng Udang Mepanggang (Salad of Young Coconut Shell with Grilled King Prawn). The beef was so tender and was a perfect balance between sweet, sour and spicy. The prawn was plump and juicy and the crunch from young coconut shell salad gave it a nice contrast in texture when eaten together.




Srobsop Yuyu (Crabmeat Soup with Butternut Pumpkin and Young Coconut) came next. The coconut broth was very light and was salted just right to draw out the natural flavor of the crab. Adding lime to the soup gave it a nice touch of acidity!




Our Bebek Betutu came next as the waiter rolled it out from a cart to our table. Upon opening the palm leaves one could smell the 16 spices that was used to marinade the duck.





The waiter told us the duck was roasted for at least 4 hours which is why the meat was falling off the bone. The meat was so moist and flavorful and eating it with rice and long beans was very satisfying.





Desserts was next and having tasted such good food, we decided to try everything on the menu! First up was the Assorted Balinese Desserts. Our favorite was the Dadar Gulung (Pandanus Leaf Pancakes with a Jackfruit and Palm Sugar Filling). The pancake wraps were so soft and had a very strong pandan flavor and the filling was had the right amount of sweetness.




Pudding Kelapa Muda (Young Coconut Pudding Baked in a Shell with Palm Sugar Sauce) was another excellent dessert. The pudding had a similar texture to Creme Brulee and the combination of palm sugar and coconut meat really made this a coconut lover's dessert.




The other two desserts we also had were Cendol Manis (Rice Dumplings with Coconut Milk and Palm Sugar) and Karud Pandan (Poached Pandanus Flavored Dumplings with Honey and Ginger Ice Cream). We still prefer the Cendol back home and the Karud Pandan was a little too hard for my liking. The Ginger Ice Cream however was really creamy and delicious!




Last but not lease we also had Kelapa Es Puter (Indonesian Coconut Flavored Ice Cream). This was probably the best coconut ice cream I had even compared with Thailand. The coconut flavor was very strong.




Our entire meal came up to USD $74. We definitely recommend this to anyone that would like to have a taste of really good Balinese Food, which in my opinion is quite hard to find. Before we forget, we were also treated to a Balinese Kecak Dance while eating.



Contact Information:
Nusa Dua Beach Hotel & Spa
Nusa Dua, Bali
T: 62 361 771210
F: 62 361 771229

Bebek Goreng @ Bebek Tepi Sawah (Day-3 Bali)

Besides Babi Guling, Bali was also famous for their duck dishes Bebek Betutu and Bebek Goreng. After water rafting our driver took us to Bebek Tepi Sawah which apparently serves up one of the best Bebek Goreng. Apparently Suharto has also eaten there before.



Dining was out in the open and we were seated in a nice spot where we could see the paddy fields. It was quiet and calm which was a big change from busy Kuta and Ubud city.




Catering to tourists the menu offers a host of Italian and International Food such as burgers, ribs and pizzas. We stuck to Balinese food and ordered their Bebek Goreng and the recommended Grilled Chicken of Cock Fighting (this was really the name of the dish).

Before our dishes arrived we were given some assorted nuts that was mixed with some fried garlic. The slight bitterness from the fried garlic surprisingly went well with the nuts!


Soon after my Bebek Goreng arrived in a massive plate. Typical of the food we had in Bali, it came with Rice and some vegetables. The duck was a little dry and tasted like a mild version of Chinese Braised Herbal Chicken except that it's deep fried. What I really loved was how crunchy the duck was. It's so crunchy you could even eat most of the bones.



May's Grilled Chicken of Cock Fighting was also huge. The chicken looked fried to us but was quite juicy. We both also liked the chopped long beans with peanuts.



Our meal came up to USD $13 and decided not to try any desserts from the restaurant as none of them were Balinese. We did however try some Tape Manis (Fermented Tapioca) from a street vendor while driving to our next activity. For USD $1 we got 5 boxes. Most of them were really sweet and soft. Just absolutely delicious!




Contact Information:
Address: Jl. Raya Goa Gajah, Br.Teges Peliatan, Ubud, Bali,
Tel: +62-0361975656