Learning new recipes while traveling is such a treat, and it’s one good way of bringing back a little bit of the destination with you back to your kitchen. I learned how to make Shakshuka in Tel Aviv back in 2016 and it’s been my favorite dish to cook ever since.
So during my time here in Bali, I learned to make Base Gede (basic spice paste), Cramcam Jepang Mekuah (Chayote, red bean soup, crispy shallots), Nasi Sela (sweet potato rice) and more at Lobong Culinary Experience Bali.
At the start of the day, our host took us through a market and gave us a culinary tour, showing us all the ingredients we would be cooking with and the culture behind Balinese markets. For example, all market events take place near a temple. The one we were at happened to be by a royal one.
After the culinary tour we got to tour the hosts compound, and let me tell you— His place is beautiful! At one point, during our cooking class, it started to rain and I had to capture all the beauty surrounding me.
During out cooking class we learned how the balinese people cook their rice, which involved steaming the rice in three different steps. The total process took and hour and a half, but it was delicious. And while the rice cooked, we made the other dishes! One thing that was super interesting about this compound was that there were three different kitchens, one for the experience (which was also the hosts’ kitchen), one for his mother and one for his sister.
Aside from the cooking we learned a lot about his family and the structure, which was very interesting! I learned quite a bit! Like how Balinese families turn stones when their children turn into adults, or how head the family lives at the highest point of the compound! I also learned that the Balinese people didn’t have birth certificates until like the 60s! Our host didn’t know his exact age, he just knew he was younger than one of the girls in his village and that was his benchmark! His mother knew her age based on when the volcano last erupted.
All in all the experience was awesome, the food was amazing, and there was just so much beauty to be found in the intimacy of the compound. I certainly wouldn’t mind living in a place like that. 🙂
Before we ate, we paid homage to the temple and gave our offerings… Or rather the hosts’ mother did as the offerings we already prepared for us, we just placed them on the temple.
All in all, it was a fabulous experience and I highly recommend it! 🙂
Gio's Adventures 