Exotic food in Bali
In this story, I would like to tell about the features of the national Balinese cuisine. Where and what you can and should eat in Bali!
My move to Bali was just like in an unreal story. I had a stable job, which I not only liked, but also brought in a good income, my personal life was also just right - my beloved girl, many friends and, in general, a measured flow of events, like most of us. But I didn’t even think how everything collapsed in one moment... How would the majority behave in this situation! ? Of course, they would have been covered with a terrible diagnosis of modern society - depression, I almost almost became an exception. But it wasn't there. . . One night, trying to escape from insomnia with a couple of portions of strong alcohol, and mindlessly wandering around the Internet, I accidentally stumbled upon a good site about Bali. There, some local guide interestingly described the sights of the island. Before that, of course, I had heard about the island, but I didn’t really know exactly where Bali was and what it was like. It so happened that I decided to write to the e-mail address indicated on the site! Correspondence began, through which I began to learn amazing things about Bali. And. . . A week later I was already there : )! I didn’t have much time, mood and desire to go and look for tour operators, and therefore I decided all the pressing issues through the same local guide, who kindly told me in detail about Bali, for which I am sincerely grateful to him in many ways. By the way, now this is my good friend with whom I regularly keep in touch. He not only ennobled my holiday in Bali, accompanying me and showing me the simply divine places of this island, but also helped me solve the issue of accommodation by providing me with a wonderful villa in Uluwatu, for ridiculous money, and not a standard hotel, which I personally, with a crowd of noisy tourists, at that time was not needed at all (his website gidnabali. ru, look if you are going to go to Bali). On all the excursions, I had the feeling that I had finally found my home, a corner on the planet where I feel calm and well. Gradually, all previously seemingly unrealistic problems became simply ridiculous. Two weeks later, I came back to Russia, but with only one purpose, to solve all the necessary issues and return to Bali again, but for a long time.
Now I live here and I am infinitely happy about it! Now I know a lot and will begin to share with you information about the interesting features of this island! For those who are going to Bali for the first time, since they have almost become local, I want to give some advice on how and where to eat and how much it costs. So, let's begin : )
If you have a desire to fully taste the features of the national Balinese cuisine, the entrance to fashionable restaurants designed for tourists is simply closed to you. You should go to local cafes or as they are called by the inhabitants of Bali-warunga (a traditional place in Indonesia where you can find a wide variety of national food). But based on the mass flow of tourists, the owners of warungs, being competent entrepreneurs in this industry, did not forget to add European dishes to the national dishes.
The standard type of warung is a small room, just a couple of tables with benches. The mechanism is simple - you go in, choose a place and food to your liking, not particularly worrying about the bill received after a wonderful meal, since it will be insignificant. For the Balinese, eating is a private matter, in the family circle. But especially on the days of national holidays, in warungs you can meet whole families who, while eating fragrant jackfruit with curry (a fruit with pulp inside), communicate nicely with each other in a friendly atmosphere, adding variety to the usual rhythm of life.
I would say that for visitors, eating in warung is a little adventure. The correct approach to eating is simply to eat what you like in appearance. For almost every dish you will be offered hot or spicy sauce. On the tables you will always find sweet Kecap Manis sauce, salty Kecap Asin and crazy spicy Sambal chili sauce.
Rice, as elsewhere in Asia, takes 1st place. The inhabitants of Indonesia consider rice to be the food of the gods and tell various legends about its appearance on earth - for example, according to one of them, a young man who went to heaven brought grains of rice from there in cracked heels. Rice is everywhere, and as a side dish, and as a main dish, it is also used in soups and even in sweets. A lot of spices and seasonings are put in rice, but this does not spoil it at all. There is even nasi goreng fried rice. But you should be wary of a rice dish with red pepper shoots....Even I, a wild connoisseur of food with a twinkle, sometimes felt uneasy : )
Of the most popular dishes and the most frequently ordered there are:
Mie Ayam or Bakso Ayam- Consists of homemade rice noodles, cabbage, herbs and chicken broth. Mushrooms can be added upon request for an additional fee. The basis of the soup is meat balls, similar to our meatballs, served with crispy snacks also made from rice flour. Its price, depending on the level of warung, is from 7-15 thousand rupees. For spicy lovers, jangkap sauce is served separately
The second most popular is Soto Ayam or in other words, chicken soup. It is broth-based, with fresh cabbage, the same rice noodles, tomatoes, egg, and chicken itself. It costs about 7-10 thousand rupees, if you buy from merchants with moving carts (popular in Bali, they drive and sell in the yards of houses or just stand by the road, which I personally call Balinese fast food on wheels : ), the cost of this soup will be 3.5 thousand rupees.
Stir-fried noodles (mie goreng) with vegetables are one of Indonesia's most popular dishes. It is eaten by everyone and everywhere, and I was no exception. As a rule, the composition includes finely chopped pork and shrimp, celery, green and onions, hot peppers with chamois, all the same cabbage and 8 slices of cucumber. It costs 3-5 thousand rupees! Very tasty, I advise everyone.
Stewed vegetables with seafood, fish or chicken (cap cai), Vegetables are usually slightly stewed vegetables are almost raw, but this somewhat does not spoil the taste of the dish, and even in addition to meat or fish. It costs from 10-20 thousand rupees.
Chicken, beef, lamb (sate) skewers smell of smoke, but since the meat is fried in very small pieces, it is often overdried. They serve it with a nutty sweet-spicy sauce, which does not look quite aesthetically pleasing in color : ) Meat is cooked on a fire.
Skewered suckling pig (bali guling) is the most delicious meat I have ever tasted! It's a ritual for the locals. Men carefully butcher the carcass, separating different parts for different dishes. Women are engaged in the preparation of all kinds of side dishes, from vegetables to rice. After frying the meat, its not the most sirloin parts are mixed with other ingredients, they can also be poured over with a special sauce and enjoy an amazing taste. But it's not the same as a whole roasted piglet. That's what a Russian person needs to be happy! : )
Fried bananas and vegetables in dough (pisang goring), crispy and very tasty, you can’t really buy them in warungs, you can rather buy them in the late afternoon, in any tent or cart on the street. To taste, they resemble our curd pancakes (syrniki), only more tender. It costs 5 thousand rupees for 7-10 pieces.
Grilled corn, this smell is impossible not to feel walking down the street, carts are in different parts of the island, you can choose your own corn and it will be grilled in front of you and covered with delicious peanut sauce. All this pleasure costs no more than 5 thousand rupees per head.
Also in the assortment are kebabs in thick peanut sauce (satay), vegetables mixed with meat and spices (lawar), pancakes (martabak) and much more.
Fruit in Bali is a different story, but I will try to at least briefly talk about some of them. Here you can enjoy mangoes, watermelons (red and yellow), pineapples, bananas, strawberries, melons, mangosteens, tangerines, oranges, apples, pears, grapes, coconuts, orangutans, durian. Here are some examples of particularly exotic
Duryan is considered to have a strong unpleasant smell, but it tastes like strawberries with cream. I personally know that when the fruit is overripe, it does not emit a very good aroma, but if not, there is no such smell and close.
Mangosteen in Bali, considered the queen of fruits, as described above, Durian is the king of fruits. In terms of taste, it is difficult to compare it with something, a little sweet, but at the same time with a delicate sourness. It is believed that this fruit helps fight cancer cells and various other ailments.
Salak or snake fruit-fruit, with a skin similar to a snake. It tastes like pineapple with a slight tartness of walnut. For me, this fruit is number one, very tasty and original.
But for all the extraordinaryness of Balinese food, there is something that will amaze even the most skilled gourmet. In Bali, you can discover very unusual dishes for yourself. For example, I once had to try swallow's nest soup in chicken broth - this dish is considered a very rare and most exotic dish in the world, as it is believed that this is a good medicine for cleansing blood. Swallow's nest consists of fry, fish eggs and everything else that can be found in the water. This soup is very expensive, even by European standards. This is due to the fact that swallow nests are collected at a great height, in the gorges of rocks and the danger of falling off is very high. But this does not stop the Balinese, as it brings a very good income.
And if you ever want to cook a magical soup, then here is the recipe for you. Just in case.
First. Fill the nest with boiling water and wait about five hours until it swells. And the water must be kept hot all the time. If it cools down, it is drained and replaced again with hot.
Second. From a well-steamed nest, they remove with tweezers everything that the birds unknowingly left in the delicacy: dirt, fluff and feathers.
Third. To make the nest even softer, douse it with an alkaline solution. Rinse thoroughly, this time with cold water.
And the last. Swallow's nest is served with chicken broth seasoned with spices and rice vodka.
Bali is an amazing island, and not only in its culinary manifestation!
This is a place where all your everyday problems simply disappear. . . Where for the harmony of body and soul you just need to be surrounded by the smiles of local residents and believe me, there are plenty of them! Bali, for me, has become a place where I finally feel free and happy. If you suddenly decide to go on a trip to the island of a thousand temples, as Bali is not simply called, and you have a variety of questions, for example, about food or accommodation, the sights of the island or neighboring islands, the mental characteristics of the local population, or anything else, I will be happy to answer and help you.
Wish you happiness!
Domoratsky Danil
