You can go quite a while in Bali without stumbling across true Balinese dishes on a menu: your nasi goreng, cap cay, mie goreng and even most sate are imports from China and Java. Yet Bali's is a delicious, rich cuisine and it's not only worth tracking down babi guling and ayam betutu while you're here -- why not learn how to cook a few dishes as well?

A bumbu at Bumbu.

Imagine a combination of the following minced, simmered then smeared over your favourite meat or veggies: chillies, garlic, shallots, fresh turmeric, ginger, coriander seeds, tamarind, shrimp paste, lemon grass, kaffir lime leaf, salam leaf, cloves, nutmeg, black pepper, galangal...

A Balinese bumbu, or spice paste, features a combination of those ingredients and is the key to many of Bali's home-grown dishes. It's among the first recipes covered in the one-day cooking course at Bumbu Bali, one of the few restaurants serving only real-deal local cuisine. Opened in 1997, Bumbu Bali is run by Heinz von Holzen, author of several cookbooks on Balinese and Indonesian cuisine. The Swiss chef originally came to the region to work with Hyatt and Hilton in Singapore, before moving to Bali to open the Grand Hyatt as executive chef; he later opened the Ritz Carlton (now the Ayana) as executive chef.

I signed up for the course earlier this week. After convening at Jimbaran McDonald's, our group of 10 or so departed for the nearby Jimbaran markets at 06:20 sharp. We clustered around a table near the market entrance sipping coffee as Heinz began by explaining a little about Balinese traditional food culture; who does the shopping (Mum); what influences her (no refrigeration); and what sorts of delicious things people eat for breakfast (think various combinations of coconut, palm sugar and rice).

Insert your own funny food gesturing caption here.

Other tips Heinz passed on: how to hypnotise a chook (well, almost) and how to tell what colour eggs a hen will lay (I won't spoil it for you). As a little finale, an elderly Balinese woman displayed her skills at weaving leaves into a rice cake basket at amazing speed. Ceramics made only a relatively recent appearance in Bali, meaning ingenious methods of using palm leaves were developed for carrying and serving food.

Then we were off for a wander through the typical Balinese market, past fruit and veggies, freshly slaughtered meat ("Feel it to see if it's still warm, so you know it's been freshly slaughtered!"), not-so-fresh seafood, offerings, groceries and various other day-to-day paraphernalia. I had a chance to ask one of Heinz' team about Balinese ducks: it's always bugged me that they're so difficult to buy, when bebek betutu is such a popular Balinese dish.

"Balinese ducks are too skinny! Those ducks are all imported from Australia," he said. Romantic food illusion: shattered.

So warm it's steaming.

Then we were whisked off for a very short drive to Jimbaran beach. I'll write about the market in another post, but the main take away point here is this: Javanese rather than Balinese boats supply the market. One of the Balinese boats coming in had been out for three days, two nights, and had a haul of 15 kg of fish. Sturdier, better-equipped Javanese boats catch the daily haul further afield, and Heinz says he has seen the market collapse twice in recent years with little warning due to mass overfishing. It's an obvious catastrophe in waiting. Here's one site to check on whether your fish is sustainably caught.

Yellowfin tuna, iced and ready for export.

Our next stop: the dining bale at the cooking school, about a 15-minute drive away in Tanjung Benoa, where we gulped down a huge glass of mixed juice, and gobbled our market breakfast -- including mung bean porridge, fruits, various coconut-rice-palm sugar cakes and Bali kopi.

Then we collected our aprons, recipe books, and were off to the open-air, covered kitchen. Here a few of the early morning stragglers emerged, with an extra person in tow, while another person on a waiting list had also been told she could come; so our group ballooned to about 16 rather than the usual 12.

We were saved from an awful lot of pounding, grinding and mushing thanks to a huge meat grinder that did a lot of the work; at home a food processor or blender could do the work. "What about those Thai chefs who say you shouldn't mechanically grind fresh spices?" someone asked. "Did you swim to Bali?" Heinz responded. "Different means, same end."

Among the basics were a rundown on how to make chicken stock -- did you know you should always chuck the first lot of stock, rinse the bones, and start over? Me neither. Another thing I realised I'd been doing idiot-style: grating the outside of the fresh nutmeg I buy here instead of whacking it open and using the fragrant fleshy inside.

I'm not quite sure if that tasted right. Better have another spoonful.

In about five hours, we raced through some 20 recipes as Heinz regaled us with stories alongside his assistant Pak Bagu. Among the dishes: black rice pudding, roast chicken in banana leaf, pork in sweet soya sauce, various sate with peanut sauce (Javanese, strictly speaking), minced seafood sate (Balinese), steamed mushrooms in banana leaf, green papaya salad with prawn and a vegetable salad (a much better take on your usual gado gado).

Bon appetit!

Of course, the finale was sitting down to eat and, of course, it was fabulous -- and just as rich in some ways as an elaborately prepared French meal, I'd say. We were wrapped up by 15:00.

All in all, I'd recommend any traveller even remotely interested in Balinese cuisine do this course; and if you're into food, consider a day with Heinz at Bumbu Bali a pretty much essential to-do item on your Bali list. (Heinz doesn't take all the classes, so check when you're making your bookings if you'd like to have him as your teacher -- though Pak Bagus is certainly just as competent and engaging.) If you're not coming to Bali? Browse their site and you'll find many of the recipes.

The price? It's not cheap, at US$85++ or $75++ if you don't want to drag yourself out of bed at the crack of dawn for the market. I'd definitely do the market, even if you've done Asian markets before, because you'll have a chance to ask questions.

Bumbu Bali Restaurant and Cooking School
Classes Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays
Jalan Pratama, Tanjung Benoa
T: (0361) 774 502, 772 299
www.balifoods.com
info@balifoods.com

* If you're new to Travelfish.org, you may assume the above is advertorial twaddle. It isn't. We pay our own way, every single time and have done so since Travelfish.org kicked off back in 2004. Travelfish.org writers do not take freebies. Ever.

Tags: balinese food, bumbu, bumbu bali

I often complain about the lack of things to do in Bali with toddlers. Jenggala paint a pot in Jimbaran won't really help you with a two-year-old (that's what Jari Menari is for...) but I've taken a three-year-old there with great success. Added bonus: the excellent coffee and cake at the cafe, and the ceramics shopping (though pricey) at the adjoining showroom.

Thank goodness, you've made it over the moat.

The entrance to Jenggala Keramik is imposing and somewhat offputting to say the least. But waltz on in through security and head left to get to the cafe and paint a pot section. The building is airy, modern and stylish, with plenty of tables in the cafe section ready for your three year old to run wild. Kidding, kidding.

Ceramics are attached to the wall -- excellent child-proofing

Do book ahead for a paint a pot session. There's no set fee, you simply choose and pay for the pieces you wish to paint. What's available to paint varies month to month. On my last visit, there were fridge magnets for 50,000 rupiah, side plates for 100,000 rupiah, large water jugs for 200,000 rupiah and a large horse for 230,000 rupiah. With a three year old, you'll likely get away with 2 fridge magnets for a session or maybe a side plate as well.

Clutter for an unsuspecting relative's living room

While staff will assist you with paint preparation and they'll do the cleaning up, you really do need to supervise your own children during the actual session itself -- especially younger children, obviously. I found my three year old lasted for about an hour, tops, with some playing with friends during the session. If you've got older kids, you can let them take a seat at the bench while you take a seat at the cafe.

Let your creative side go wild... or just have a coffee

Make sure you plan this activity early on during your holiday as it takes 3-4 days for your items to be fired.

Did I mention the coffee and cake? (Actually, this is a brownie...)

The real reason for coming

The cafe also serves light meals, so factor in a lunch here while you're at it. And do browse the beautiful showroom. Jenggala pieces are popular with hotels and restaurants across the island. Prices aren't cheap, but one beautiful piece makes a lovely souvenir. Aside from, of course, the stunning fridge magnet.

Paint a Pot at Jenggala Keramik
Jalan Uluwatu II, Jimbaran
Open 09:00 to 17:00, last session at 16:00
T: 0361 703 311
painting@jenggala.com

Tags: ceramics

Some things are touristy for a good reason: they are very enjoyable to do.  One such activity in Bali is going for a seafood barbecue at Jimbaran beach on Bali. Sure, cheaper places to eat seafood are around, but the setting at Jimbaran, right on the sands, often with a brilliant sunset to boot, is difficult to beat. For the budget conscious, you don't need to order two dozen king prawns and a bottle of chardonnay to enjoy the spot -- most places will rustle you up a nasi goreng, and the water is just as cold as the beer!

Fish at the Jimbaran fish markets

There are two blocks of seafood barbecue joints on Jimbaran. One lot is up quite close to the airport, and the other is way down at the other end of the beach, between the Intercontinental Bali and the Four Seasons. We prefer the latter, and our favourite place is the second last one (when walking away from the Four Seasons) called Cafe Bagus. (It's actually combined with the joint next door and they've combined their names, but the sign still reads Cafe Bagus) and, well, it is bagus!

If you're coming for the sunset, we'd suggest aiming to get here by about 17:00 and grabbing a table down near the water for the best, most uninterrupted views. That also gives you time for a swim. The drop-off here is very, very shallow, so it is great for children who just want to have a paddle without being too worried about the waves. If you're not fussed about the sunset and your time is limited, you can visit Pura Uluwatu for the kecak performance (which takes place across sunset), then wander down here afterwards for a dinner.

Munching aside, there is also a large fish market at Jimbaran that is best visited in the early morning, but that's another story!

Cremation ceremony in Ubud

Photojournalist John Stanmeyer, who lived in Bali from 2003 to 2008, has an exhibition at the Ganesha Gallery, Four Seasons Resort on Jimbaran, the Wall Street Journal reports. The exhibition, "A View of Balinese Rituals",  supports his recent book  Island of the Spirits, which was itself a result of his concerns about the loss of Balinese culture in the face of rapid development.

He says "The pressure on Bali is unbelieveable given the development that is going on. The local culture is fast-disappearing and I wanted to look at that."

The exhibition runs till January 3, 2011.

Tags: jimbaran, photography