BALINESE SEAFOOD SATAY
Satay Lilit Ikan

This is probably the most delicious satay you’ll ever encounter. The delicate flavours of the shrimp and fish are greatly improved if you can find spears of fresh lemongrass to use as skewers. And if you can cook them overafire of coconut husks rather than charcoal. Nonetheless, even with wooden skewers and a standart charcoal grill. This is one of those dishes that guaranteed to impress your friends. You can also use this mixture for Thai-style fish patties.

Serves : 4-8
300 gms (10 oz) Tuna, mackerel or sword fish
300 gms (10 oz) raw shrimp, peeled
4 Kaffir lime leaves, shredded
¼ cup of coconut milk
3 tbspn palm sugar
Sea salt to taste
Lemongrass stalks or bamboo skewers
3 tbspn fried shallots
4-5 tbspn Base Genep

Slice the fish and the shrimp into chunks, place in container of the food processor and blend until ground like sausages mince, or chop finely with a cleaver in large bowl. Mix the ground fish with the base genep, lime leaves, coconut milk, palm sugar and salt thoroughly until it forms a strong dough.
Take a tablespoon of the mixture and wrap onto a stalk of lemongrass. The end should be slightly thicker, like a drumstick.
Grill under a pre-heated griller of barbeque over hot coals. Rotate the stick as it cooks so that it browns evenly. Brush the satay with coconut milk if they are getting brown too quickly.
Garnish with fried shallots and serve with steamed rice.

Fried Banana

Fried bananas are popular throughout Bali. the slow frying technique used in this recipe ensures that the bananas remain crisp after cooking.

1 cup (160 g) rice flour
2/3 cup (150 ml) water
½ tspn sea salt
5 medium bananas
Oil for frying

Place rice flour in deep mixing bowl. Make a well in middle of the flour, and add water and salt. Whisk vigorously until batter is evenly smooth for coating and not too thin (if too thin, add more rice flour).
Peel bananas and cut in half length wise. Dip into batter to coat generously. Heat oil in wok or deep fryer until moderately hot. Add bananas and fry slowly until golden brown and crispy. This will take about 15 minute. Remove bananas from oil, drain on paper napkins and dry well.

Fruit in Coconut Milk

The alluring fragrance of cinnamon simmering in the pot makes this dish as much a pleasure to cok as it is to eat.
Kolak can be made from a variety of ingredients, suc as banana, ripe jackfruit, sweet potato, and tapioca. It is equally suitable for the cool winter months or balmy summer nights. It can be made several hours before serving and then reheated and served warm or even chilled.

Serves 4
250 gms. palm sugar or brown sugar 3 cups water
3 pandan leaves or ½ tsp. essence 1 tsp. vanilla essence
cinnamon stick (optl) 6 bananas
100 gms. sweet potato 100 gms. pineapple
1 cup coconut milk 1 tsp. sea salt
3 tsp. tapioca flour or corn flour

To make palm sugar syrup: boil the sugar in the water with the pandan leaves until the sugar has dissolved and reduced a little. If using pandan essence, add with the vanilla essence.
Strain the sugar water and return to the pot.
Slice the sweet potato, pineapple and banana into chunks.

Boil the sugar-water with the optional cinnamon stick and sweet potato first. Simmer for ten minutes or until the sweet potato is cooked. Add the banana and the pineapple and simmer until the fruit has softened. Mix the flour with a tablespoon or more of cold water. Stir until it has dissolved and is smooth. Add to the fruit.
Stir in the coconut milk, salt and vanilla. Bring to the boil, and stir for a minute until the has heated up and thickened slightly. Check for sweetness and serve.
Note: you can add a dash of rum at the end for extra flavour. Try fresh mango instead of sweet potato.
Serve: with vanilla or coconut ice-cream.

Fragrant Yellow Rice

This a favourite rice dish where much of its magic relies on the combination of fragrant gingers and aromatic leaves. Flecked with fried onion. Lemon basil, heavenly torch ginger and chilli, the clean, fresh, flavours of this golden-yellow rice is food for the Gods.

Ingredients :
For soaking with the rice :
1 ½ cups white rice 1 heaped tbs turmeric, grated
½ cup water
For steaming with the rice :
5 salam leaves 3 lime leaves
2 lemongrass
For extra colour and flavour : 1 pandan leaf
Suna-Cekoh :
See page 20
To mix with the steamed rice :
2 tbsp. suna cekoh
3 tsp. sambal goreng 3 tbspn fried shallots
7 lime leaves, shredded 3 kaffir lime
2 tbsp. lemon basil, basil, shredded
2 tbsp. torch ginger petals, sliced
¼ tsp. salt

Blend fresh turmeric with the ½ cup of water and strain.
Mix the turmeric juice with the rice and add water to cover. Soak for 15 minute or until the rice is golden.
Strain the rice and steam with the aromatic leaves until dry and fluffy. Otherwise, use a rice cooker and add a little less water than normal.
Grind or blend the suna-cekoh ingredients into a paste. Using a wok, heat the cooking oil over a medium flame. Fry the spices, adding water if the mixture is too dry. Keep moving the mixture back and forth so it doesn’t burn. Cook until it appears separated, for around 3 minutes. Set aside. Mix the steamed rice with the final seasonings: sambal goreng, kaffir lime, fried shallot, suna-cekoh, lemon basil, torch ginger and salt.
· Check seasonings
· Garnish with extra fried shallots.
Note: if fresh kencur is not available for the suna-cekoh, replace with fresh galangal.

Sweet Corn Patties

Makes approximately 12….
420 gms./14 oz sweet corn kernels (ca nned or fresh), strained
5 shallots ½ tsp. ginger, grated
2-3 cloves garlic 1 ½ tsp. galangal
1-2 small chillies ½ large chilli
1 tsp. turmeric ½ tsp shrimp paste
2 cups vegetables oil 2 eggs
3 tbsp. flour ½ tbsp. rice flour (optl)
1 tbsp. fried shallot 3 lime leaves, shredded
1 tspn. kencur

These eternal favourites are equally delicious served with any Balinese or Western meal. They are also perfect as a cocktail food.
In a food processor, blend the shallots, garlic, ginger, galangal, kencur, and large red chilli, to make a fine paste. Add the corn, making sure not too over blend it. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and fold in the eggs, the flours and the fried shallots. Check seasonings. Over a medium flame, heat the oil. Pour in a dessert spoon of the mixture at a time. After a minute or two, flip patty over and fry the other side until golden brown. Repeat with the remaining mixture. To serve: as a starter, serve with tomato sambal or a relish of your choice. Serve with any Balinese meal or as a replacement for potatoes with any Western meal. “As an alternative to kencur, galangal and ginger, try adding nutmeg and cumin.