By Susanna
a truly wonderful experience on so many levels
Greeted by the charming and friendly Adi and Frances, who have built a beautiful home, kitchen and their Little Wooden Cottages accommodation in their quiet and peaceful part of Bedulu near Ubud, you are welcomed into their home with a refreshing drink and treated to a wander around the garden. The garden is the source of many of the ingredients we use throughout our 4 hour cooking and dining experience. It’s a treat to see many ingredients growing in their natural habitat, rather than picking them up at your own local shop!
Our day is peppered with so much information about the traditions and ceremonies of Bali, which is so interesting whether you are a first timer to beautiful Bali or a seasoned Bali traveller – there’s always more to learn.
Coconut features prominently throughout our morning cooking, Adi starts by showing us the four stages of the coconut ripeness and the uses for each one – from the coconut water that is taken from the green coconut, right through to the burning of the dry coconut shells used as fuel for the fire that we will cook our satay and fresh chicken on later in the day. We also, once back in the kitchen use the soft coconut flesh which is grated, to produce our own coconut milk and cream to use in our recipes.
The hands-on cooking class is simply a pleasure to be involved in, with a maximum of 8 guests it is a wonderful way to learn new skills and glean information about the myriad of ingredients used in our Balinese Ceremonial Feast.
We started the day by making all the sambals, pastes, sauces, coconut milk and coconut cream that we would then use in the dishes we prepared for our lunch. It’s important to note here that this is very labour intensive, and we were so lucky to have the delightful staff assist with much of the initial preparation, thank you to Tu Nya, Gusman, Kadek and Made. We prepared Sambal Tomat, Sambal Goreng, Peanut Sauce, Sambal Matah, Adi’s Base Rajang (Fragrant Spice Paste), Coconut Milk and Coconut Cream
Our final menu, using the above deliciousness!
- Balinese Spiced Fish in Banana Leaves
- Grilled Coconut Chicken with Sambal Matah
- Balinese Pork Satay
- Tempe in Kecap Manis – Sweet Soy Sauce
- Deep Fried Corn Fritters with Balinese Spice Paste
- Balinese Vegetable Salad with Roast Coconut
- Balinese Vegetable Salad with Peanut Sauce
- Coconut Pandan Crepes with palm sugar and coconut.
After preparing and then eating this delicious and unique feast we were lucky enough to take the recipes home with us, with plenty of advice on purchase of ingredients once we returned to our home countries. The morning preparation and lunch together, as a group of new found friends, was such a special experience and one I would highly recommend to anyone with an interest in Balinese food and traditions. Adi and Frances are perfect hosts and teachers, the fun and joy they brought to our day was simply perfect.
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