Tag 13: Balinese Cuisine

Departure from the hotel was at 7:30 AM today. On the relatively short drive to the Bali Asli cooking school, we enjoyed a beautiful view of Amed Bay and Mount Agung - the highest volcano in Java, which last erupted in 1963.

Upon arriving at the cooking school, we enjoyed the obligatory welcome drink, followed by a short hike to a mountain village that had a cultural center. 

Along the way, our guide, the head of the cooking school (an Australian woman who has lived in Bali for 18 years), explained the various plants that grew around us.

At the cultural center, we were shown how traditional Balinese Lontar are made. The Lontar uses specially processed leaves from the Lontar palm (Borassus flabellifer). These are alternately soaked in water and spices for 6 months and then dried. After that, they are pressed and dried again - a process that takes another 6 months. The leaves are then planed to equal size, and the edges are sealed (against termites). The texts and images are carved using a scalpel and colored with burnt candlenut (Kemri).

We were then allowed to try the writing ourselves. Thus, Lontar with our names in Balinese were created.

After this interesting activity, we walked back to the cooking school where our cooking class began.

In three hours, we first learned everything essential about the ingredients used. Then we practiced preparing the four dishes: chicken satay skewers with peanut sauce, salad, Nasi Goreng, and a steamed pumpkin pudding.
After that, we enjoyed the dishes we had prepared for a late lunch. Everything was very delicious!

After that, we drove back to the hotel. Again, it took us about an hour for a little more than 20 km.

The rest of the afternoon was spent with the men swimming and the girls getting massages.
Due to the extensive lunch, we skipped dinner and limited ourselves to a cocktail or a beer from the hotel bar.


Statistics:
Distance traveled: 44 km
Distance walked: 6 km
Overnight: Coral View Villas Amed