Cuisine
Ayam Betutu
Traditional stewed and grilled chicken, Balinese herbs and spices.
Found everywhere from humble beachside huts to high-class restaurants, Ayam Betutu is a classic Balinese dish that always delivers. According to traditional recipes, succulent roasted chicken is enriched with flavourful bumbu betutu (a heady mix of local herbs and spices) and served ahead of an aromatic plume of steam that never fails to set mouths watering. Local takes on this ubiquitous dish offer infinite variations: in Klungkung, the chicken is stuffed with betutu spices; in Gianyar, betutu is cooked within a plantain leaf wrapping; and in Gilimanuk, the betutu is extra hot and spicy. Whichever version graces your plate, Ayam Betutu is a signature taste of Bali, a taste sensation beyond compare.
Bola Bola Cokro
Bola bola cokro: squid, chicken, celery, leek, coriander, peanut sauce.
Packing a full archipelago of flavours into each and every bite, bola bola cokro is a dish that’s as varied and distinctive as Indonesia itself. These delicious little orbs combine seafood with fresh vegetables, aromatic herbs and invigorating spice, to create an eclectic dish that’s perfect for sharing. Made from a blend of fresh squid, chicken, celery, leek and coriander all rolled together to make a baso-style meatball, these irresistible little treats are served with indulgent peanut dipping sauce; a decorative addition to the table that’s sure to keep you coming back for more.
Gurame Telor Asin
Gurame telor asin: fried gurame fillet, salted egg, chilli, curry leaves.
Combining two of Indonesia’s most distinctive dishes, this recipe blends the succulent meat of gurame with the saline flavour of telor asin. The latter is a traditional treat that’s long been a favourite of farmers, sailors, schoolboys, workers and wives throughout the archipelago; especially Java, these little blue-shelled parcels would be carried into the fields, onto the waves or beyond the walls of the kampong during a working day; a little taste of home to fill the stomach and fuel the day’s adventure. Gurame is a freshwater fish that’s bursting with healthy oils, vitamins and minerals. Its meat is clean, bright white and substantial; after being fried in oil with a little flavouring, it falls away from the bone like plump strips of chicken breast. Combined with spicy chilli and aromatic curry leaves, this is a classic dish that’s both satisfying and irresistibly moreish.
