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Balinese Ingredients
An array of items ranging from the familiar to the exotic

Balinese food uses a number of ingredients already familiar to lovers of other Asian cuisine. These and other less familiar seasonings are described for easy identification, and a range of substitutes suggested. Names given in italics are Balinese or Indonesian.

BASIL, LEMON (don kemangi): a fragrant, lemon-scented herb added at the last minute to keep its flavor, or used as a garnish. Although the flavor will be different, you can use another type of basil.

CANDLENUT (tingkih): A round, cream colored nut with an oily consistency used to add texture and a faint flavor to many dishes. Substitute macadamia nuts or raw cashews.

CARDAMOM (kepulaga): A straw-colored, fibrous pod enclosing pungent black seeds. Each pod contains about 8 - 12 seeds; try to buy the whole pod rather than a jar of seeds as the flavor is more intense.

CHILIES: Three types of chile pepper are used in Bali, with the amount of heat increasing as the size diminishes. Mildest and least popular are the finger-length red chiles (tabia lombok), usually seeded before use. The most commonly used are the short, fat tabia Bali, about 1 inch long and ranging in color from yellow to red. hottest of all ae the tiny fiery bird's-eye chiles (tabia kerinyi). The Balinese often mix green of unripe bird's-eye chiles together with the ripe red ones, s the flavor is less important than the intense heat they provide. Use only fresh and not dried chiles, and be careful to wash you hand thoroughly after handling chiles as the oil can burn you eyes and skin. You may even like to wear rubber gloves.

CLOVES (Cengkeh): this small, brown, nails shaped spice was once found only in the islands of Moluccas, east of Bali. Apart from its use as a flavoring in a number of Balinese dishes, it is used to make the clove scented cigarettes that are popular throughout Indonesia.

COCONUT (nyuh): coconuts are widely used in Bali, for making sugar, alcohol, housing, utensils, temple offerings and charcoal. The grated flesh of the coconut is frequently added to food; it can also be squeezed in water to make coconut milk. If freshly grated coconut moistened with warm water can be used as a substitute.

To make fresh coconut milk, put 2 cups of freshly grated ripe coconut into a bowl and add 2 cups of lukewarm water. Squeeze and knead the coconut thoroughly for 1 minute, the strain through cheesecloth into a bowl to obtain thick coconut milk. Repeat the process with another 1 cup of water to obtain thin coconut milk. coconut milk can be frozen; thaw and stir thoroughly before use.

A distinctive Balinese flavor is obtained by roasting chunks of fresh coconut in a charcoal fire until blackened on all sides. The charred exterior is then brushed off, the flesh grated and coconut milk made in the normal way to obtain roasted coconut milk.

The best substitute for fresh coconut milk is instant coconut powder. Combine this with warm water as directed on the packet. For the richer, creamier flavor required for desserts and cakes, use canned (unsweetened) coconut cream.

CORIANDER SEEDS (ketumbar): Small straw colored seeds with a faintly orange flavor. Whole seeds are usually lightly crushed before use.

GARLIC (kesuna): Garlic in Bali is smaller and less pungent that the garlic found in many Western countries. Adjust the amount to suit your taste, although bear in mind that the garlic is important to Balinese dishes.

GINGER (jahe): This pale creamy yellow root is widely used in Balinese cooking. Always scraped the skin off fresh ginger before using, and never substitute powdered ginger as the taste is quite different. Ginger can be stored in a cool place for several weeks.

KENCUR (cekuh): Zedoary (Kaemferia galanga) is sometimes erroneously known as lesser galangal. This ginger-like root has a unique, camphor flavor and should be used sparingly. Wash it and, if you’re fussy (most Balinese cooks aren’t) scrape off the skin before using.

Dried sliced kencur or kencur powder can be used as a substitute. Soak dried slices in boiling water for 30 minutes; use 0,5 - 1 teaspoon of powder for 1 inch root.

KRUPUK : Dried crackers made from shrimp, fish, vegetables of nuts mixed with various types of flour are used as a garnish or eaten as a snack in Bali. They mush be thoroughly dry before deep frying in very hot oil for a few seconds, so that they puff up and become crisp.

LAOR (isen): Sometimes called galangal, this member of the ginger family has a very tough but elusively scented root that must be peeled before use. Substitue slice of dried laos (soaked in boiling water for 30 minutes) or powdered laos (1 teaspoon = 1 inch)

LEMONGRASS (sereh): This intensely fragrant herb is used to impart a lemony flavor to soups, seafood and meat dishes and spice pastes. It can also be used as a skewer for satays. Cut off the foots and peel off the hard outer leaves; use only the tender bottom portion (6-8 inches). If the lemongrass is not required sliced, it is normally hit a couple of times with the edge of a cleaver or a pestle to release the fragrance and tied in a knot to hold it together during cooking.

LIME: Three types of lime are encountered in Bali. The most popular and also the most fragrant is a small, round fruit similar in fragrance to the leprous or kaffir lime (lemo); the double leaf of this lime (don lemo) is often very finely shredded and added to minced fish, or left whole and added to food cooked in liquid. Use kitchen scissors to ensure that the leaf is cut into hair-like shreds. If fragrant lime leaf is not available, use the zest of a lime or lemon.

Lime juice from the Balinese lemo was used for recipes; however the milder juice of a small round thin-skinned lime (juwuk lengis) is also used in Bali, as elsewhere in Southeast Asia.

A large lime similar to those found internationally grows in Bali and makes an acceptable substitute for the kaffir lime. If limes are not available, use lemon juice.

NUTMEG (jebug arum): Always grate whole nutmeg jus before using the as the powdered spice quickly loses its fragrance

PALM SUGAR (gula Bali): Juice extracted from the coconut flower or aren palm is boiled and packed into molds to make sugar with a faint caramel taste. If palm sugar is not available, substitute soft brown sugar. To make palm sugar syrup, combine 2 cups of chopped palm sugar with 1 cup of water and 2 pandan leaves. Bring to boil, simmer 10 minutes, strain and store in refrigerator.

PADAN LEAF (don pandan): The fragrant leaf of type of pandanus sometimes known as fragrant screwpine, this is tied in a knot and used to flavor desserts and cakes.

PEANUTS (kacang tanah): Used raw and ground to make sauce, or deep fried and used as a garnish or condiment.

PEPPER (merica): Both black and white peppercorns are crushed just before use; ground white pepper is also used on occasion.

SALAM LEAF (don jangan ulam): A subtly flavored leaf of the cassia family, this bears no resemblance whatsoever to the taste of a bay leaf, which is sometimes suggested as a substitute. If you cannot obtain dried salam leaf, omit altogether.

SHALLOTS (bawang barak): Widely used in Balinese cooking, pounded up to make spice pastes, sliced and added to food before cooking, and sliced and deep fried to make a garnish. Balinese shallots are smaller and milder than those found in many Western countries, so you may need to reduce the amount called for in these recipes.

SHRIMP PASTE, DRIED (trasi): This very pungent seasoning often smells offensive to Westerners at first; it is always cooked before eating, generally toasted over a fire before being combined with other ingredients.

The best way to treat it is to spread the required amount of a piece of foil and to toast it under a grill for a minute or so on each side. Widely known overses by its Indonesian name, trasi, or the Malay term, belacan, shrimp paste ngates in color from purplish pink to brownish black.

SHRIMP PASTE, BLACK (petis): A very thick syrupy paste with a strong shrimp flavor used in some sauce.

SOYSAUCE: Two types of soy sauce are used: thick sweet soy sauce (kecap manis), and the thinner, re salty thin soy sauce (kecap asin): if you cannot obtain kecap manis, use the dark black Chinese soy sauce and add brown sugar to sweeten it.

TAMARIND (lunak): The dark brown pod of the tamarind tree contains a sour fleshy pulp, which adds a fruity sourness to many dishes. Packets of pulp usually contain the seeds and fibers. To make tamarind juice, measure the pulp and soak it in hot water for 5 minutes before squeezing it to extract the juice, discarding the seeds, fiber and any skin.

TUMIRIC (kunyit): A vivid yellow root of the ginger family, this has a very emphatic flavor. Scrape the skin before using. If fresh turmeric is not available, substitute 1 teaspoon of powdered turmeric for 1 inch of the fresh root.

To make turmeric water, peel about 8 inches of fresh turmeric root; slice finely and combine with 1 cup of water. Process in a blender until very fine, or pound the sliced turmeric in a mortar and then mix with water and let stand for a couple of minutes. Strain through a sieve, pressing firmly with the back of spoon to extract all the juice. Store in a jar in the refrigerator.

If fresh turmeric is not available, combine 4 tablespoons of powdered turmeric with 1 cup of water and mix well.

Copyright by The Food of Bali, Authentic Recipes from the Island of the Gods

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