Category Archives: Indonesia
Indonesian Chicken Satay
The Indonesia style of Chicken Satay is slightly different than the Thai ones, that most are familiar with. Only minced chicken is used for the recipe and the seasoned mix is draped over bamboo sticks. The meat barely covers the bamboo, making it look almost like a lollipop chicken. Sate Lilit Ayam or Chicken Satay is a popular street food …
Chicken in Coconut Curry
A popular dish in Balinese cuisine is Kare Ayam (translates to Chicken Curry), also known as Be Siam Mesanten. It is similar to other Asian curry dishes that use onions, bay leaves and coconut milk. Similar to a yellow Thai curry, you will need a basic yellow sauce to make the base for the curry. The yellow sauce can be …
Indonesian Base Sauce
Base Gede Bumbu Kuning also known as Basic Yellow Sauce is a key ingredient in many Indonesian recipes. It is really easy to make! Simply blend in all the ingredients in a commercial or Balinese blender (as shown below) till ground into a paste. You then want to sauté the spices to release aromas. This basic yellow sauce lasts for 1-2 …
Growing Rice in Bali
Continued from Farm to Table in Bali… Next stop on the Paon Bali Cooking Class tour are the rice paddies where Wayan tell the students about the agriculture in Bali. He stops at a site where Julia Roberts was filmed biking in the movie, Eat Pray Love. With a backdrop of mountains (many of which are volcanoes), palm and coconut trees, …
Farm to Table in Bali
One of the best ways to learn about the authentic cuisine of a country is by taking a cooking class with a native. At Paon Bali in Bali, Indonesia, they offer one-day classes that are fun and educational. Run by husband-wife duo, the cooking school is at the home of Wayan and Puspa located at Laplapan Village, a few minutes …
Arriving on Kuningan
I arrived in Bali during an auspictious time. The streets were decorated with bamboo poles and prayer offerings were everywhere. I saw processions of women carrying towers of food and flowers; groups of kids of all ages playing the gamelan; and processions taking Barong (mystical beast) through the streets. In fact, every home and business had its “penjor” (similar to …
Vegetables in Peanut Sauce
One of the most commonly found dishes in Bali is Gado Gado. Also known as Kacang Me Santok, the dish is a healthy sauté of assorted vegetables with peanut sauce. Aunty Puspa who runs Paon Bali Cooking Classes on the island of Bali, showed us step-by-step how to cook this authentic recipe. She even made her own coconut oil and …
Little Balinese Dancers
Go Eat Give volunteers in Bali were invited to a family temple in Sukawati village for a ceremony and festivities. This temple celebrates its anniversary every six months, when all the village residents get together to pray and the little ones put up a performance of music and dance. Only the family members that are related through generations attend the …
Observing religious rituals as tourists
I encourage you to travel, to learn about different cultures, their real customs and traditions. But I also want you to be polite, sensitive and respectful. While doing my research for an upcoming visit to Indonesia, I came across the Frommer’s “Favorite Experience in Indonesia” below. “Observing Open-Air Public Cremations: Hindus believe that cremation is the only way a soul can …
Renew with Bali Spirits
Bali is revered for its lush tropical magnificence, its harmony-inspired customs, culture and arts and its breathtaking natural scenery. The book and movie, Eat Pray Love hasn’t done any harm to the island’s status as a romantic tourist attraction, but not all individuals want to write a book in isolation and wait for someone or something to find them as …