At any time when you are hungry, or when at midnight you suddenly have an irresistible desire for a snack, you can walk to the nearest street food point and buy something simple and tasty there. We will tell you about the five most memorable dishes in Bali: what they consist of and how they are prepared.
Most of the savory dishes on our list contain a spice blend called base genep: black pepper, candlefruit, cloves, coriander, shallots, turmeric, chili peppers, galangal, lemongrass. All ingredients are crushed and mixed to create a delicious taste and aroma.
Sate -lilit (“wrapped in sate”)/Sate Lilit
Sate-lilit is one of the varieties of satay (miniature version of kebab) in Bali. It usually consists of ground pork, seafood, beef, chicken or even turtle meat. Seasonings are also added: grated coconut, coconut milk, onion, pepper, lemon juice and spices.
Before grilling over charcoal, the satay is wrapped around a stick of sugar cane or lemongrass. You can easily find this street food in Bali as sate lilith is the undisputed leader of street food.
Sayur-lavar/Sayur Lawar
Lavar is a vegetarian dish made from green beans, beaten eggs, olive oil, lime leaves, sugar, grated coconut, shallots and coconut milk. All this is fried in coconut oil. As a rule, the name lavar is given by the meat ingredients: for example, chicken lavar, pork lavar, etc. The fruit variation is called lawar nangka, which uses young jackfruit as a meat substitute.
Some people like lawar with the blood of slaughtered animals (for example: pork, chicken, etc.), combined with spices to enrich the taste. Locals classify lavar by color, such as red lavar (containing blood) and white lavar (containing only coconuts).
Nasi Champur Bali (Rijstafel)/Nasi Campur Bali
Nasi Champur is one of the most famous and popular dishes on the island. It includes spices that are generally found in large quantities in vegetarian-based curry dishes.
Balinese nasi champur is a dish with meat (shredded chicken, diced beef, tempeh and tofu) and vegetables ( spinach and cucumbers), wrapped in a banana leaf, which gives it a slight sweetness. Typically, nasi champur is paired with babi guling (Balinese pig).
Nasi Jinggo (Jingo rice)/Nasi Jinggo
One of the ten cheapest food in Bali. The portions are usually very small, so you may have to order more than one to fill up.
Served with chilli, fried tempeh, chicken, noodles and serundeng (grated coconut stewed with Balinese spices) and truly melts in your mouth.
If you have already tried chicken porridge on the island of Java (in Surabaya, Jakarta or Bandung), you probably find her amazing, and she really is. However, your experience will not be complete unless you try its Balinese version. The Balinese version is very similar, but has a richer taste. The sauce is creamier and at the same time spicy and exciting, thanks to coconut milk, an abundance of spices and coconut oil.
Jaja Bali/Jaja Bali
Jaja is the only dessert among all the savory dishes we presented, which, of course, indicates its popularity in Bali. Those with a sweet tooth simply cannot leave without trying it.
Jaja contains laklak (rice cakes sprinkled with caramel and grated coconut), bubur injin (black rice jelly in sweet coconut milk) and dadar ijo (pandan flat wafer with sweet coconut).
You can learn more interesting things about Bali on excursions from local residents
