Rejang Dewa and Lawar

Today all over Karangasem where we live, families are celebrating Odalan, the birthday of temples. On Saturday we will go pray at Pura Lumbung but today, Odalan has already started at that temple and young girls are performing Rejang Dewa (the dance for the gods), an event which takes place every year and a half.  Months ago, they started to prepare for that day.

They have been dressed amd made up since early in the morning and now they are ready to wear their beautiful gelungan (hats) made out of ental (the palm leaf which is used to make lontar, the sacred books)  Each one has been lovingly decorated with flowers by their mothers. Like the Banten, Gelungan is a tall and fragrant dedication to the gods, carried on the most sacred part of the body, the head.

The inherent grace and beauty of these young girls is always humbling to me, they naturally possess poise and dignity beyond their years.

Komang's beautiful little cousin, Iluh Mentik

On the other side of the village, since way before dawn, the men have been busy preparing Cassava Leaves Stuffing for Babi Guling, Saté and Lawar at the Banjar Dewa Mas near the temple.

Cassava Leaves Stuffing for Babi Guling

Komang's uncle (we could call him the Iron Chef of Karangasem) has been, with his two challenge ingredients "raw pork blood and bitter starfruit leaves", orchestrating the making of the mysterious Balinese Lawar.

No doubt, if you have been to Bali, you have heard about Lawar and maybe even had a chance to eat it. If not; let me explain, Lawar is mostly prepared for ceremonies and eaten as part of Megibun, the traditional shared meal. It is served as well with babi guling. It consists of roasted and boiled pork, coconut, spices, tree leaves and raw pork blood all mixed according to each Lawar master's unique recipe. Wayan Riem, Komang's uncle, is such a master and is always asked to direct and supervise its preparation. His skills, honed through a lifetime, are unsurpassed and his Lawar is reknown to be the best in the village .

Starfruit leaves and Lombok Chilies

The making of Uncle's Riem Lawar 

Wayan Riem is a very quiet man who has secrets and those are secrets he is not very inclined to share but Komang, being observant, has been able to "duplicate" his uncle's Lawar and give me a recipe that I am happy to share here. Of course, I am not really expecting anyone to make Lawar at home but for the curious and adventurous, it might be an interesting challenge. And next time you eat it, at least you will know what's in it!

Lawar

Lawar is actually a complex dish, involving the preparation of two spice pastes, Basé Gedé and Pelalah which are mixed in three different preparations: Lawar Merah (the one with raw blood), Lawar Belimbing (with starfruit leaves) and Lawar Putih (white lawar with coconut). These three Lawar are then mixed together for the finished dish pictured below. Each of these Lawar can be served on their own.

For the Basé Gedé:

500 grs. (1lb) of shallots, peeled and finely sliced

200 grs. ( 7oz) of garlic, peeled and finely sliced

6 long red chilies, sliced

125grs ( 4.5oz) of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped

100grs ( 3.5oz)  of fresh galangal, peeled and finely chopped

50grs (2oz) of kencur, chopped (omit if unavailable

5 candlenuts, chopped

1 Tbs roasted shrimp paste (wrap in aluminium foil and roast over a flame until pungent)

2 tsp sea salt

80 ml (3.5oz) coconut oil or bland oil

Mix all the ingredients together by hand except the oil. Add the oil in a frying pan and cook the ingedients until fragrant. Set aside.

For the Pelalah:

200grs (7oz) garlic, peeled and roughly chopped

100grs (3.5oz) kencur (omit if anavailable)

75grs (3oz) fresh turmeric, peeled and roughly chopped

5 candlenuts, chopped

2 tsp sea salt

2 tsp roasted shrimp paste

80 ml (3.5oz) bland oil

In a mortar, place all the ingredients, except the oil, and grind into a rough paste. Add the oil in a frying pan and cook the paste until fragrant. Set aside.

 Lawar Merah

200grs (7oz) of pork rind, cleaned and boiled with a pinch of salt for 30 minutes

200grs (7oz) of pork meat with some fat, chopped finely and fried

100ml (3,5oz) of fresh pork blood

5 Tbs Basé Gedé 

3 Tbs Pelalah

4 Tbs of shallots, peeled, sliced finely, deep-fried until golden and drained

3 or 4 bird's eye chilies, chopped finely

1 tsp roasted shrimp paste

Juice of 1 calamondin lime or regular lime

Sea salt to taste

Mix well the meats and the blood together, add the basé gedé, pelalah, chilies, shrimp paste, fried shallots and lime juice. Mix well again. Tase and adjust for salt and eventually chilies.

Lawar Belimbing

500grs ( 17oz) of Starfruit leaves, washed and boiled for 5 minutes

1 1/2 cup of fresh coconut milk (good canned coconut will do if fresh is unavailable)

200grs (7oz) of pork meat with some fat, boiled 15 minutes

4 Tbs Basé Gedé

3 Tbs Pelalah

3 Tbs deep fried shallots (as described in above recipe)

3 bird's eye chilies, sliced finely

1 tsp roated shrimp paste

Juice of 1 Calamondin lime or regular lime if unavailable

Sea salt to taste

Once the starfruit leaves are boiled, rinse them under cold water and squeeze the water out, do this 3 times, it will help remove some of the bitterness.

Boil the coconut milk until thickened, about 10 minutes, cool and set aside.

Chop the meat in small pieces, set a side.

Mix the meat, coconut milk and the sarfruit leaves. Once mixed, add the basé gedé, pelalah, shallots, chilies, shrimp paste and lime and mix again. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Set aside. 

Lawar Putih

1/2 fresh coconut, meat grated

150grs (5oz) of fried pork meat with some fat, chopped in small slices

150 grs (5oz) boiled pork meat with some fat, chopped in small slices

4 Tbs Basé Gedé

3 tbs Pelalah

4/5 Tbs deep-fried shallots

3 bird's eye chilies, finely sliced

Juice of 1 calamondin lime or regular lime

1 tsp roasted shrimp paste

Sea salt to taste

Mix the coconut meat and the meats. Add all the other ingredients except salt. Taste and adjust the seasonings if needed. Set aside.

For the finished  Lawar, mix 1/3 of each preparation above ( Lawar merah, lawar belimbing and lawar putih) and serve with steamed rice.

Kalio and Rendang

The rain is enveloping us and even if I tell myself every day that it is  wonderful to receive water from the sky, I do miss the sun and the happiness it brings to the day. At this time of the year, the end of the rainy season, I always feel like cooking long simmered dishes and spending time in the kitchen. 

Of course, the first thought I have is to cook a daube, maybe a coq au vin or a blanquette; all  dishes of my childhood. The daube and the coq au vin require wine, plentiful in Bordeaux but expensive in Bali, and the blanquette requires veal, unheard of here since Sapi, the cow, is too precious to kill at a young age and I do not want to buy expensive imported meat for a stew, which principle is to transform cheap cuts into tender and flavorful morsels.

We live in a coconut grove and we do have an abundance of coconuts though and there is a stall in the nearby market of Amlapura where I like to buy local beef. I love Rendang, a traditional long simmered dish from West Sumatra, cooked in spices and coconut milk.
The process is interesting in the sense that, instead of sauteing the meat first and adding a liquid as in traditional western stews, the meat, the spices and the coconut milk are all cooked together until the coconut milk reduces into oil and the meat slowly fries in it. The result is a very rich dish, subtly spiced and redolent of coconut sweetness.
The downside, for me at least, is there is not much sauce left in the finished dish and I love sauces. Kalio is simply Rendang which hasn't been cooked all the way. If the cooking is stopped before the coconut milk turns into oil and starts to fry the meat, you have Kalio, a delicious soupy dish where there is plenty of sauce for the rice or bread (or for mashing the potatoes cooked in it along the meat).
And this is what we will have for dinner tonight!

Beef Kalio

serve 6

2lbs, about 1kg of stewing beef, rump, brisket or top round

1 quart 1/2 of fresh coconut milk or good canned coconut milk

6 small potatoes, cut into chunks and parboiled 5 minutes

For the spice paste:

8 shallots, peeled and chopped

7 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

2 stalks lemongrass, inner part, sliced

2in/5cm fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

3in/8cm fresh galangal, peeled and chopped

2in/5cm fresh turmeric, peeled and chopped

8 long red chilies, chopped

1tsp black peppercorns

3 cloves

4 or 5 gratings of nutmeg

Flavorings for the Coconut Milk:

2 salam leaves
3 kaffir lime leaves
2 turmeric leaves, tied in a knot
1 cinnamon stick
2 lemongrass stems, bruised with the flat blade of a heavy knife
1 Tbs palm sugar, chopped
1tsp sea salt
Place all the ingredients for the spice paste with 2 Tbs of coconut milk in a blender until a smooth paste is formed.
Place in a shallow pan the coconut milk, the spice paste and the meat.

Stir and start cooking on a medium heat. As soon as the coconut milk is about to boil, lower the heat (otherwise it will curdle), add the potatoes and let the stew bubble gently for 1 1/2 hour, maybe a little more. 
The coconut milk should have reduced and the sauce should be thick.

At that point, you have Kalio. If you let the milk reduce to the point it starts to turn into oil oil, you are making rendang and you should watch carefully and stir to avoid scorching. It will take another hour or so, until the meat has absorbed most of the coconut oil and turns brown.
Either way, Kalio or Rendang, serve hot with bread or rice, topped with finely sliced kaffir lime leaves and fried shallots.

Rice, two ways: Nasi goreng and Nasi Kuning

One of the first things we prepare every morning is the rice. My mother in-law, Ibu Boni, still makes Nasi for the day the traditional way: soaked, steamed in a conical bamboo basket in an aluminium pot set over a wood fire, soaked again and steamed one last time.

This rice has a wonderful flavor, due to the firewood and the method of cooking, resulting in a delicious and perfect rice, fluffy with each grain separate; a lifetime of experience that I have yet to master.

We use an electric rice cooker and the results, if different, are quite good. Think a crusty sourdough Pain de Campagne versus a supermarket one!
When we have left over rice, Komang makes Nasi Goreng (his way) and when we have lots of time, I make Nasi Kuning (my way).

Nasi Goreng is simply fried rice, done the Indonesian way. Every family has their own recipe and way to prepare it.

Komang's Nasi Goreng

serve 2

2 cups of cooked rice, room temperature

6 oz of chicken, pork or shrimps chopped

1 cup finely sliced cabbage

1/2 carrot, chopped finely

2 pieces of bok choi, chopped

5 shallots, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tsp rice vinegar

1 Tbs kecap manis

1 tsp fish sauce

3 tsp kecap asin or light soy sauce

sea salt and pepper to taste

For the nasi goreng sauce:

1 large red chile, chopped

3 bird's eye chile, chopped

1 tomato, chopped

6 garlic cloves, chopped

1 tsp shrimp paste

1 Tbs coconut oil or mild oil

some water

In a pan, place all the ingredients for the nasi goreng sauce, except the water. Cook over a medium flame until fragrant, about 5/8 minutes, add some water if needed. Place in a blender and mix until smooth.

Place the rice in a bowl, add the nasi goreng sauce as well as the rice vinegar, fish sauce, kecap manis and soy sauce. Mix and set aside.

In a wok set over a medium flame, put 2 Tbs of oil and fry the meat for 2 or 3 minutes until golden, add the shallots and garlic. Then add the rice with the sauce and seasonings as well as the vegetables. Toss around until thoroughly mixed, add salt and pepper. Continue tossing with a spatula until the vegetables are wilted but still crunchy and the rice is piping hot. Serve with a garnish of fried shallots, peanuts, cucumber slices and fried egg if desired.


Nasi Kuning is rice cooked with spices, herbs and fresh coconut milk. It is, once cooked, mixed with sambal, more herbs, fried shallots, chilies and some lime juice. This dish is fragrant and delicious and my absolute favorite thing to serve with grilled fish, prawns and duck. It is truly heavenly and you should try it, at least once. 

Nasi Kuning

serve 4

To steam the rice:

3 cups of rice, washed and drained

2 1/2 cups of water

1 1/2 cup of fresh coconut milk or canned coconut milk

2 sticks of lemongrass, bruised with the flat side of a heavy knife

1 large knob of fresh turmeric, grated, juice expelled and added to the water

3 slices of fresh ginger, bruised

1 small stick of cinnamon

6 cardamom pods

3 daun salam (omit if unavailable)

1 pandan leaf (screwpine), tied in a knot (omit if unavailable)

1 leaf of turmeric (omit if unavailable)

1 large pinch of coarse sea salt

In an electric rice cooker, place all the ingredients and cook. Once cooked, un-plug the machine, open the lid and, with a rice paddle, fluff the rice. Close the lid again and wait 10 minutes.

Kasuna-Cekoh

2 Tbs turmeric, chopped (omit if unavailable and increase the kencur to 3 Tbs)

2 Tbs  kencur (cekoh) replace with galanga if unavailable

10 garlic cloves (kasuna)

3 candlenuts

In a mortar, grind all the ingredients to a paste, you could use a food processor if prefered.

In a frying pan, heat 3 Tbs of oil and fry the paste, stirring constantly until it becomes glossy and fragrant, about 4/5 minutes. Drain the oil and leave to cool.

To mix in the rice:

the prepared kasuna-cekoh

5 shallots, finely sliced, deep fried in oil until golden and drained

3 kaffir lime leaves finely, sliced

1 small bunch of lemon basil, leaves only, shredded

the juice of 2 calamondin limes or 1 regular lime

salt to taste

1 Tbs Sambal Goreng ( you could use 2 or 3 bird's eye chilies, very finely chopped)

2 Tbs Sambal Kecicang or 1 torch ginger flower, finely sliced (omit if unavailable)

Place the rice in a bowl, remove all the herbs and spices it was cooked with and add all the ingredients above. Taste, adjust if necessary and serve. Heaven!

Made is getting married!

Made Suarta aka Made Pintar (Smart Made) got married to his long time sweetheart Ketut Sepi (Quiet Ketut). Not only Ketut is quiet and beautiful, she is very patient as well since Made and her dated for 8 years!

Marriage in Bali is one of the last life passages rituals that every Balinese will go through, from birth to death. As in the rest of the world, it is a very important life event and many things have to be prepared. 

First, the Pemangku, the villlage priest, finds an auspicious date for the bride to move in with the groom and chooses another auspicious date for the cerenomy to take place. There is always a lapse of time between these two dates; during that time the bride and groom have to stay in the house compound and are not allowed to leave the property. Made and Ketut had to stay home for 5 days but sometimes, as in the case of one of Komang's friend, it was 34 days!

A high priest is contacted and arrangements are made for him or her to come and  perform the ceremony on the chosen day. Since that day is auspicious for more than one couple, they are in high demand and sometimes the ceremony is very early before sunrise or late in the day, depending of their busy schedule.

It takes a lot of people to prepare for the wedding, many offerings have to be made in the week preceding the ceremony and they all will grace the house and the temple on the wedding day.

All the people who come and give their time to help are offered breakfast and lunch, therefore, there is a special crew of people whose sole occupation is to cook (and need to eat too). It is not rare to have at least 50 people helping every day.

At night, someone (similar to a husher in the West) stands at the entrance door and welcome the guests with a happy "Om Swastyastu", the Balinese words of greetings and protection.

The presents of sugar and rice, piled in a basket and covered by a crocheted top are received by a member of the family and placed in big bags.

These will be distributed amongst all the helpers after the ceremony. No wedding list at Bloomingdale's here, a marriage is not about receiving material presents, it is about a community coming together for this very important occasion. Most of what has been given by someone will be given back to someone else. It is a circle of thankfulness and understanding that, when we all share, we all have plenty.

Jaja Nganten

These beautiful small cakes are made for weddings and represent the union between a man and a woman.

At night, an area is set up for the preparation of the drinks and cakes which are given to the arriving guests. Young girls pass around the guests with coffee or tea and a plate of Jaja, the little cakes all Balinese love to nibble on. 

Dadar Unti

 Crêpes with Coconut and Palm Sugar filling
make 12

Crêpes batter:

1 cup flour

1/4 cup rice flour

2 eggs, beaten lightly

1 Tbsp sugar

pinch of sea salt

1 tsp vanilla essence or 1 vanilla bean, seeds sraped

1 cup coconut milk

1/2 cup water

Coconut filling:

1 cup  fresh grated coconut

1 pandan leaf tied in a knot

1tsp vanilla essence

5oz of palm sugar

3/4 cup water

Sift the flours into a bowl. In another bowl, mix together the eggs, salt, sugar and coconut milk, add the flours, whisking until smooth. Add water. Let rest for 2 hours.

To make the filling, put the palm sugar, water, pandan leaf and simmer until the liquid has somewhat reduced, about 10 to 15 minutes. Strain the syrup and remove the leaf. put the grated coconut in a pan, add the syrup and cook for 3 minutes at low heat. If the mixture seems runny, add some grated coconut.

Brush a small frying pan with a pat of butter, add 1/4 cup batter, swirl it around (it should be very thin) cook until set on the edges, flip it and cook 2 minutes longer. turn out of the pan the crêpe and keep covered with a towel, repeat until all the batter is used.

Fill each crêpe with 2 tablespoons of filling and roll like a spring roll.

The night before the wedding, after all the offerings have been made, it is time to prepare the feast for the wedding. Pigs and chickens have to be killed, spice pastes, satés, lawar and the rice are cooked during the night and will be first placed in the temple as offerings to the gods.  

On the morning of the wedding, a stylist arrives early to prepare the bride and groom. They will be dressed like a Prince and a Princess for the day, wearing the rich (and heavy) Songket woven with gold threads, jewelry and flowers in their hair. 

The Pedanda, most of the time a Shiwa priest, will arrive and perform the ceremony sitting on the temple altar, chanting the rituals mantras in Sanskrit accompanied by the haunting sound of his bell, tying knots in a leaf of alang alang for Made and Ketut to place around their forehead protecting them from the kala, the unseen negative forces (what we would call the demons) and giving them the Tirta, the sacred water scented with flower petals, to drink. And everyone will pray.

And then, all will have been done. Tomorrow will be a new day in the life of Ketut and Made.