Bali on my plate

ONE of the highlights of my recent trip to Bali was the food. From the fresh, cheap and tasty fare dished out by the humble carts and the warungs to the swish restaurants, there was an amazing world of Balinese culinary delights waiting to be explored. There was nasi goreng, mee goreng, babi guling, rujak bali, chicken and fish satay, urab, gado gado, bakso ayam, cap cay (pronounced chap chai), fried tempeh, tuna steamed in banana leaf, yellow chicken curry, pisang goreng, ikan goreng with nasi and soup and grilled seafood marinated in Balinese bumbu (spices) that we had on Jimbaran beach, all washed down with Bintang beer. Happily none of us came down with the dreaded Bali belly.

Common condiments and spices employed in Balinese cooking are ginger that includes galangal and two lesser types of it, garlic, fresh turmeric, peanuts, candle nuts or macadamia nuts, terasi or dried shrimp paste (quite smelly but indispensable to most dishes), small green Balinese limes, hot bird's eye chillis, white and black pepper, coriander,lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, shallots, fresh cinnamon leaves and coconut. The amalgamation of all these results in an eclectic mix of flavours, the spice and lemon complementing each other like best buddies. Spices and ingredients are manually ground or pounded in a mortar and pestle that might seem laborious in today's times when electrical appliances do all the hard work, but that's how it's done to retain freshness. No Balinese cook will ever grumble that it's hard work.

Fish, chicken and pork are widely cooked and although beef is available it is generally avoided by the largely Hindu populace. In fact, seeing that you're Indian and therefore presuming you're Hindu, the hotel's restaurant staff will immediately warn you that "it's beef," you're pointing at as an add-on to your breakfast omelette. A common remark encountered, especially from hotel staff was: "You Indian? I Hindu", probably expecting a reply like "Yes. I too Hindu", but I would simply smile and nod in affirmation, rather than launch into a long-winding explanation on the religious and cultural diversity of India. The staple food is rice, harvested four times a year, and eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner in traditional Balinese homes along with accompaniments of meat and vegetables. They produce red, black and white rice.

In most homes, rice is cooked early in the morning, and small portions of it is then spooned into tiny baskets made out of coconut palm fronds or banana leaves and left outside homes as a daily offering. The offering baskets themselves are pretty and speak of the creativity of Balinese women, who keep their hands always busy even as they are chatting away.

Floral offerings are also common, placed in temples, outside homes and establishments. There was always a fresh floral offering basket on the extreme right corner of the dashboard of our vehicle, which our tour driver Wayan Agus proudly claimed was his wife's handiwork.