Balinese Food – As the largest foreign exchange contributor to tourism in Indonesia, Bali is indeed very special. Not only has the appeal of its natural beauty, Bali is also able to make anyone captivated by its various culinary specialties. Not even a few of the people who want to return to Bali just to taste a variety of Balinese specialties.
What’s interesting, apparently this variety of Balinese cuisine is not only favored by local tourists. Because there are a lot of Balinese favorite foods for Caucasians that really shake the tongue. So happy, foreign tourists are willing to fly to the island of the Gods just to taste one of these seven Balinese culinary delights.
Balinese Culinary Most Liked by Tourist
What are the typical Balinese dishes that foreign tourists like so much? Here are 7 Balinese Culinary Most Liked by Foreign Tourists.
1. Nasi Goreng Bali (Fried Rice)
No one can resist the charm of fried rice. This dish, which seems to be found in all corners of the country, even though it is so simple, is actually capable of making anyone’s stomach churn. Likewise with Balinese fried rice which is very popular with foreign tourists. Unlike the fried rice sold in Java, Balinese fried rice is so distinctive with thin, soft cabbage slices.
Because it is an island surrounded by the ocean and various beautiful beaches, Balinese fried rice is also served with a seafood side dish, namely shrimp. The taste of Balinese fried rice is also unique because it is not only spicy, but has a fresh sour taste. This sour taste is obtained from a mixture of tomatoes and lime juice.
How to Make Balinese Fried Rice
2. Sate Lilit
It’s not complete to go to Bali if you haven’t tried this special culinary. Yep, such an opinion seems to be well understood by foreign tourists, so that makes them very fond of satay wrapped. The majority of satay lilit in Bali usually uses a mixture of mackerel fish meat and ground chicken.
Meanwhile, various spices as a complement are used as seasonings to coat it. The meat and spices are then mixed with flour and egg yolks before finally being wrapped around lemongrass stalks and grilled.
3. Bebek Betutu
Bebek betutu is another favorite Balinese dish because it is incredibly delicious. Known to be very delicious, duck betutu is basically duck meat that has been mixed with various special spices then wrapped in leaves and smoked until cooked. Because it takes a long time to cook, the portion of this betutu duck is limited, so it’s sure to be the first to get it.
4. Nasi Jinggo
Bali is not always about luxury and high-budget holidays. However, there are lots of cheap culinary delights that are busy in the pocket. Don’t get me wrong, this cheap dish is also being hunted by foreigners because of its uniqueness. One of them is Nasi Jenggo aka Nasi Jinggo which is similar to Sego Cat in Yogyakarta.
What is unique, the word jenggo comes from the Hokkien language jeng go which means one thousand five hundred. However, in the developing era, the price of Jinggo rice was adjusted even though it was still cheap. Many sold on street corners on the island of Bali, Nasi Jinggo consists of white rice, fried tempeh sambal, serundeng, shredded chicken and chili sauce in small portions wrapped in banana leaves.
5. Nasi Tempong
Actually this dish does not come from Bali, but Banyuwangi. However, because Banyuwangi and Bali are close together, there are now many sellers of nasi tempong on the island of Bali and they are very popular with foreign tourists. Nasi tempong is a collection of vegetables such as spinach, kenikir and basil leaves that are boiled and various side dishes.
The main characteristic of nasi tempong is the aroma of kencur from the peanut sauce that is poured over it. It can be found quite easily in Bali, one of the most popular sellers of Nasi Tempong is Nasi Tempong Indra in Denpasar which has an unmatched spicy sensation.
6. Sate Plecing
One of the culinary specialties of the island of the Gods is so legendary and usually uses pork as the main ingredient. But for you Muslims, take it easy, now there are many plecing satays with processed chicken or mutton which have an extraordinarily soft texture.
The uniqueness of sate plecing is its sambal, which is made from chilies mixed with garlic and candlenut, then doused with oil and lime juice.
7. Sambal Matah
And this is the favorite Balinese food for Caucasians whose taste is incomplete to the island of the Gods before trying it. Yep, sambal matah is a very popular form of Balinese cuisine and can be found in various preparations. Unlike the red chili sauce in Java, the sambal matah is served fresh because the chilies, onions, lemongrass stalks, and kaffir lime leaves are not mashed.
Everything is just washed and then sliced thinly and put in a container. Only after that sprinkled with salt, sugar, lime juice and then doused with hot oil and then eaten. How? It’s tempting to have a variety of Balinese cuisine, right? Not only local people, foreign tourists are willing to return to Bali to try it.
So, those are the 7 Balinese culinary delights that foreign tourists like the most. If you are not in Bali but want to try it, you can check the tutorial on how to make it on the attached link.