Joanna James
There's something quite exciting about Balinese cuisine that makes Indonesian food popular even outside the archipelago. The combination of well-planned and well-mixed spices and distinct earthy taste makes this kind of cuisine into an unforgettable memory and is the best way to experience Bali.
If you love the dessert of a certain cuisine it is an almost guarantee that you would enjoy whatever dishes are put down in front of you. A staple dessert dish served at restaurants in Seminyak hotels, Pisang Goreng is fried bananas topped with palm sugar syrup or honey drizzle, vanilla ice cream and coconut shavings. It makes for a delicious quick snack or dessert and can be found in a simple bowl in a street food stand or served up gourmet style at a high-class restaurant.
A classic staple Indonesian dish is the Mie Goreng which simply put is fried noodles. They are often served with some vegetables and chicken or pork depending on where you are in Indonesia. You might even get a fried egg on top, a shrimp version, chicken sate sticks, peanut sauce and prawn crackers on the side. There is also the pickled vegetable side dish which you can ask for when you order the dish.
Nasi Goreng is fried rice and, in most cases, has a lot of similarities to Mie Goreng. It is a staple Balinese dish that is eaten almost every day by locals and is considered one of the main dishes that have found their way into menus outside of Indonesia. You can eat it for breakfast, lunch or dinner where it is served with a fried egg on top, chicken, pork or shrimp and an assortment of vegetables as well as the aforementioned prawn crackers. Everyone in Bali knows how to make a good Nasi Goreng. Maybe you could take it a step further and attend a cooking class to learn how to make it yourself.
You are more likely to find Sate outside on street food stalls than in the fancy restaurants of resorts the likes of Hotel Indigo Bali Seminyak Beach. Keep in mind that Indonesian Sate is different from Malaysian Satay though they are both served on sticks. For Sate, Indonesians mash chicken and mix it well in spices before sticking it to a stick of lemongrass and grilling it. It is served with a peanut sauce and is known to the locals as Sate Ayam.
The final dish on our list is something quite unique to Bali and that is Babi Guling or suckling pig. This is a pork dish where the suckling pig is rubbed with salt, turmeric and an assortment of spices including chillies, pepper, ginger and lemongrass among others that are mashed into a thick paste. The pig is then slow-roasted on a spit until it is so tender the meat falls off the bone. It's quite delicious.
A true believer that the pen is a mighty weapon, ventures into reaching the minds of every reader with the earnest hope of leaving an indelible stream of thought.
A travel writer who has a passion for fashion and a deep interest in admiring new and exotic attractions around the world.
