HOW TO PREPARE BALINESE DISH BUMBUBALI

INDULGE IN THE BALINESE CUISINE

Balinese cooking is a plethora of cultural influences. Balinese dishes, cooking styles, and tools for preparing food have been cultivated from other cultures. The Chinese introduced stir-frying, the wok, and the use of soy sauce, Tempe, tofu, cabbage, and bean sprouts to Balinese cooking. The European Dutch colonials introduced pineapple, guava, peanuts, avocado, tomato, papaya, pumpkin, squash, and cacao. The Arabs influenced the popular “sate” with their own Kebab.

The authentic Balinese meals are spicy. In Ubud, the specialty is the duck, in Gianyar, the best suckling pig will be prepared, on the coast, near Kuta, the specialty is fish from the ocean. Real Balinese food is unavailable to tourists unless you get invited to a family dinner. In restaurants or hotels, you will never get real Balinese dishes, simply because authentic Balinese food requires too much preparation, has to be eaten while still fresh, and also because the Balinese use banana leaves as plates.

INGREDIENTS FOR BUMBUBALI

1. Basic condiments

Isen / lengkuas / greater galangal (or 2 tbs. galangal powder) = 10 cm
Cekuh / kencur / lesser galangal (or 1 tbs. lesser galangal powder) = 5 cm
Turmeric (or 1 tbs. Turmeric powder) = 5 cm
Ginger (or 1/2 tbs. Ginger powder) = 3 cm
Shallots = 7 pcs
Garlic = 7 cloves
Long red chilies (or 1 red pepper) = 3 pcs
Hot chili = 2 pcs
Shrimp paste (or 1 tbsp. fish sauce, mushroom sauce, oyster sauce) = 1/4 tsp
Salam leaves (or 1 bay leave / laurière / laubere) = 2 pcs
Lemongrass = 1 stick
Coconut oil (or vegetable oil, granola, sunflower, palm oil) = 4 tbsp
Sea salt = 1/2 tsp

2. Base Wangen (consists of 8 types of grains):

Coriander (or 1/2 tbsp powder – don’t use the fresh coriander as it has a very strong smell and taste) = 1/4 tbsp
Black pepper = 1/2 tsp
White pepper = 1/2 tsp
Cloves (or 1/4 tsp. cloves powder) = 3 pcs
Candlenuts = 3 pcs
Cumin = 1/4 tsp
Nutmeg = 1/4 tsp
Sesame seeds =1/2 tsp

HOW TO PREPARE IT

Cut (finely chop) all ingredients except the salam leaf, lemongrass, and base Wangen.
Pound in a mortar and pestle or use a blender to put in all the ingredients, except the salam leaf and lemongrass. If you use a blender, add some water.
Heat the coconut oil (cook over high heat), fry the ground spices, and add the salam leaf, lemongrass, and salt.
Stir constantly for 5 minutes until you get a pleasant strong aroma

That’s it, Bumbubali is ready to use!

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IMPORTANT TO KNOW

BumbuBali is not to be eaten directly but used as a basic spice in cooking.

You can use it to cook chicken, pork, vegetables, tempe/tofu, tuna, shrimp, or lobster.

BumbuBali must be used on a ratio of 4:1: for every 100 grams of ingredients, use 25 grams or 1 tbsp of BumbuBali.

If you want to store BumbuBali in a refrigerator for 3-4 weeks maximum, then you need to fry it on a small flame for 45 minutes until all the ingredients turn brown.

STEAMED RICE PREPARATION

In Balinese tradition, rice is made every morning to be eaten throughout the day.

Preparation of 2 cups white rice

The Balinese people put the rice in a large, shallow basket, shaking it to toss the rice into the air to get rid of the husks. Then, they wash the rice in cold water and drain the water.

Water is brought to a boil in a large pot, and the rice is placed in a conical basket over the pot and covered with a terracotta lid. The rice is steamed for about half an hour.

They place the rice in a bowl with two cups of hot water and let it sit for 15-20 minutes to absorb the water. Afterward, the rice is replaced on the steamer and cooked for another half an hour to dry it out.

Do not add salt during the cooking of the rice. The Balinese usually serve aside a small bowl of salt, fried shallots, chopped chilies, and coconut oil.