Tum Ayam (Minced Chicken in Banana Leaf)
Tum Ayam is another popular Balinese dish that is cooked in the same method as Pepes Ikan (steamed fish version) and otak-otak. To prepare this dish, minced chicken is mixed together with flavorful spices and coconut milk, wrapped snugly in banana leaves, and then is steamed or grilled. We used the recipe below during my … Read more
Base Be Siap (Spice Paste for Chicken)
This spice paste was made for Tum Ayam (Minced Chicken in Banana Leaf) during my Balinese Cooking Class. Base Be Siap — Spice Paste for Chicken (recipe by I Nyoman Sudiyasa of Sate Bali) Ingredients: 4 shallots, peeled 26 cloves garlic, peeled 1 inch Kencur root, peeled and chopped 1.5 inch laos, peeled and chopped 10 … Read more
Pepes Ikan (Steamed Marinated Fish in Banana Leaf)
Pepes is an Indonesian cooking technique that uses banana leaves to wrap various ingredients (spices with fish, meat, or tofu), which is then steamed or grilled on charcoal. This method allows the ingredients to be compacted into a sort of cake, and is very similar to another popular Southeast Asian dish otak-otak. We made these … Read more
Base be Pasih (Spice Paste for Seafood)
This spice paste was made for use in the Pepes Ikan (Steamed Marinated Fish in Banana Leaf) during my Balinese Cooking Class.
Mee Goreng (Fried Noodles)
I am a huge fan of any stir-fried noodle dishes, and my favorite is definitely the Hong Kong-style Chow Mein my Dad cooks. Thus, it was unsurprising to find an equal love for the Mee Goreng dish upon my move to Southeast Asia. Mee Goreng derived from Chinese chow mein, which was most likely was … Read more
Sambal Tomat (Tomato Sambal)
We used this tomato sambal to make Mee Goreng in my Balinese Cooking Class.
Kerisik (Coconut Paste)
Coconut is a predominant ingredient in Malay and Indonesian cooking. Coconut milk is often used in curry, gravy and desserts. Kerisik is grated, toasted coconut that is pounded into a paste; it is sometimes referred to as “coconut butter.” Kerisik is usually used to thicken curry and rendang. It is also used as a condiment … Read more
Chicken Rendang
Rendang is a spicy meat dish that originated from Indonesia, and is a very popular dish throughout Southeast Asia. The dish is rich in spices and traditionally takes about four hours to cook. The meat pieces are usually slow cooked in coconut milk and a paste of mixed ground spices called pemasak (usually ginger, galangal, tumeric, … Read more
Tomato Rice
We prepared this deliciously easy tomato rice dish during our Penang Cooking Class, which was served with Penang Achar and Chicken Rendang. Of all the dished we made during this class, this is probably the only one I could manage at home (aka this was the easiest to prepare and took the least amount of … Read more
Penang Achar
Achar is a word used in many Indo-Aryan languages for “Indian pickle.” This dish is composed of a variety of vegetables that are essentially pickled by being blanched in vinegar. This achar is particularly delicious to be eaten the next day when all ingredients infuse together. We prepared this dish during our Penang Cooking Class, … Read more













