Assistant Editor Melissa recently returned from Bali armed with this tempting Indonesian supper recipe. Kindly provided by the team at eco-resort Bambu Indah, who are renowned for growing organic produce in their gardens, it gives a taste of the delicious food she enjoyed in their stunning open-air restaurant.
The team have included their favourite Bali bumbu (spice mix) and sambal (spicy sauce) recipes, both Indonesian cooking staples used in the hotel’s mouthwatering fish satay. They recommend combining the fish with sauteed vegetables and corn fritters for a tasty Balinese feast. Enjoy.
Bali Bumbu
Bumbu, meaning “spice”, is a paste used widely in Indonesian cooking to season traditional recipes.
Ingredients:
1 cup shredded coconut
100g shallots (peeled)
100g garlic (peeled)
1 whole chilli
Turmeric (1 thumb length)
Ginger (1 thumb length)
3 slices of galangal
A pinch of shrimp paste
1 tsp pepper
3 candlenuts
150ml coconut oil
Salt, to taste
250ml water
Method:
1. Leave the coconut oil and water to one side; combine all the other ingredients in a stone mortar (or food processor) until coarsely ground.
2. In a heavy saucepan, combine the coconut oil with the contents of the mortar, and add the water.
3. Cook over a medium heat for 1 hour, or until all the water has evaporated and the paste looks golden brown.
4. Cool before using (it can be stored in the fridge for up to 1 week).
Sambal
Sambal is a staple chilli-based sauce used in all Indonesian cuisines. It comes in different forms and can be cooked or raw. This is a cooked sambal.
Ingredients:
100g shallots
100g garlic
50g chillies
A pinch of shrimp paste
4 tbsp coconut oil
Method:
1. Slice the chillies, garlic and shallots.
2. Heat the coconut oil in a shallow pan and add the shallots, stirring constantly until wilted.
3. Continue to stir while adding the garlic, chillies and shrimp paste.
4. Remove from the heat when the mixture becomes fragrant.
5. Allow to cool, then store in a jar to use as needed.
Fish Satay
Ingredients:
Bali Bumbu
Sambal
400g baramundi fish
100g shredded coconut
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp palm sugar
1 tbsp fried shallots
Sticks for satay
Method:
1. Stir together the fish and Bali Bumbu.
2. Add the shredded coconut, salt, palm sugar, fried shallots and sambal. It should look like a yellow paste and be easy to mould.
3. Take a piece of the fish and thread onto the satay stick. Keep doing this until each stick is full.
4. Grill for 5 minutes on each side and serve.
Sautéed vegetables
Ingredients:
Garden vegetables: pak choy, aubergine, cabbage, carrot
Garlic
1 tsp coconut oil
Method:
1. Wash the vegetables and bring a saucepan of water to the boil
2. Boil the carrots until tender (approx. 3 minutes).
3. Drain the water and chop the other vegetables.
4. Add the coconut oil and garlic to a hot pan.
5. Add the vegetables and cook for 5 minutes.
For the corn fritters
Ingredients:
4 tins of sweetcorn
Half a cup of rice flour
1 tbsp coriander seeds
3 shallot
3 cloves of garlic
3 eggs
1 slice of ginger
Half a large chilli
1 tbsp vegetable oil
Method:
1. Mix the coriander seeds, chili, garlic, shallots, ginger, eggs and half a cup of sweetcorn in a blender.
2. Stir the mixture in a bowl with the rest of the sweetcorn.
3. Fry 1 tbsp of the mixture in hot vegetable oil until golden on both sides.
Ready for another culinary challenge? Try Italian focaccia or Portuguese octopus miga & pastel de nata…