A Balinese Cooking Class

"Travel broadens the mind" as a popular saying puts it.  When you consider the many culinary delights available to travellers who are happy to leave their own cuisines behind for a time, we might expand that saying to "Travel broadens the waistline as well as the mind".   Ben's cooking class gave us an interesting insight into the creation of a traditional Balinese dinner which was greatly appreciated by the  16 student-participants.

The delicious dishes we had eaten stimulated our interest in Balinese food which is an expression of Balinese culture and is a creative process worthy of further study. A web search revealed the class at the Anika Guesthouse, Kuta. We booked an afternoon/evening session and went there after my last class at college. There are also famous established classes at Ubud (we had just returned from there) and Sanur (booked, hard for us to get to).



The entrance to
the "classroom"

The entry from a side street near the airport gives no hint of what is within (or more properly "above", as the class is held in its own area above the guest house).  

The "Class room" has an entrance at one end and is open along one side.  Students sit along a central table and look towards the cooking and preparation area.  The traditional materials and decorations all contribute to a sense of involvement and authenticity.  The cooking area contains traditional ovens and places where sates can be grilled over charcoal.



The "class room"

Our class of 16 was only just "multi-national" - a Belgian couple and 14 Australians.  We were welcomed with a glass of refreshing cold Hibiscus tea.  At the end of the table were dishes of herbs and spices to be used in the meal.  Ben, our host and chef, explained the properties and use of each item, noting differences between the Balinese ingredient and Australian equivalent so we could make adjustments when cooking dishes with our own ingredients  (for example, use less Australian garlic as it is stronger than the milder, sweeter Balinese garlic).



The cooking area

 As well as advice on selection and preparation of ingredients we were given insights into how to get the right balance of sweet, sour, salty, bitter and spicy.  That's not an easy task, but a vital one if the food is to taste as it should.

Herbs and spices produce
the typical Balinese flavour

We were shown how (I hesitate to say how much we mastered) to wrap food in banana leaf, fold and seal it.  It's very tricky for clumsy fingers.

The "Balinese food processor" requires strength and perserverence as well as a good technique.  It is a flat grinding stone which is used to reduce coarsely chopped ingredients to a smooth paste used in sauces or as a marinade.  If used incorrectly it is easy to include unwanted fine grit scraped from the stone's surface.

Apron on and ready to go



Making Nasi Goreng - it's all in
the way you grip the wok!

 Even "wok technique" was different.  When making the Nasi Goreng it was necessary to repeatedly press the rice against the wok edges and smooth it out, then recombine it.





Some of the finished dishes - just
waiting to be eagerly consumed



Sates - traditionally just 3
pieces of meat per skewer

So, what did we make and eat?   Mie (Balinese style noodles), beans, nasi goreng, sates, marinated fish steamed in banana leaf, chicken curry, gado gado (mixed vegetable with peanut sauce) .... and more ...

Desserts - I love the sticky black rice with coconut cream milk, and the Balinese crepes with coconut and palm sugar syrup filling.  Just delicious.



Not just a great night's entertainment with a
wonderful dinner, but ... a certificate as well.
(Just to prove we really were there and
we weren't dreaming it all!)



More photos can be seen in the accompanying blog on this site:   

"Photo Gallery - Balinese Cooking Class"

If you are in Bali and want to have this enjoyable experience, here are the contact details.  Mention you saw the ad on the web and you get 30% off the "walk in" price.  (No discount for mentioning that you saw it here.)

Anika - Balinese Cooking Class

Jalan Elang 3, Tuban, Bali, Indonesia

http://cookingclass.anikaguesthouse.com

Email: info@anikaguesthouse.com