Category: Bali

Urban Urab: Balinese style coconut and vegetables

Urab Sayur is a green vegetable and coconut salad that we often enjoy in Bali.

Whilst we can’t get the ingredients for our favourite fern tip “Urab” in Sydney, my so-called Urban Urab comes close to replicating the fresh and delicious flavours using local ingredients.

Bubu’s famous Fern Urab in Ubud

It goes well alongside Zuchinni in Coconut Milk Curry Sauce and Balinese Pork or any grilled or roast seafood or meat.

Ingredients:

  • 250g green beans, finely sliced
  • 2 cups of baby spinach sliced finely into shreds
  • 1/2 cup dessicated coconut
  • 2 small red chillis
  • 4 eschallots or a small red onion
  • 2-3 cloves of garlic
  • 1/4 teaspoon shrimp paste (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce
  • juice of one lime
  • 1/4 cup Asian fried shallots
  • 2 tablespoons oil

Method:

  1. Pound garlic and chillies together in a mortar and pestle to create a paste
  2. Finely slice eschallots or red onion and the green beans….as finely as you can. Keep them in seperate bowls.
  3. Heat oil, add onion and cook slowly until caramelised and brown, then add garlic chilli paste and shrimp paste (if using) and cook for 1-2 minutes. (The shrimp paste will be smelly but adds depth and authenticity)
  4. Add green beans, fish sauce and water and cook until beans are tender but still have some crunch …about 2-3 minutes (I don’t use extra salt as the shrimp paste and fish sauce are salty but you can add salt to your taste)
  5. Remove from heat, add shredded spinach, dessicated coconut, drizzle with lime juice and scatter over the Asian fried shallots

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Zuchinni in Coconut Milk Curry Sauce

Inspired by the delicious, light “Kari Sayur” or vegetable curry side dishes which accompany most Balinese meals, this is a simple, quick side dish alongside Balinese Pork or just eat the whole bowl as a main course!

This version is very simple but comes close to the real deal using basic ingredients which are easy to get outside of Bali.

Ingredients:

1-2 eschallots (small red onion) finely diced

2-3 cloves of garlic

2 small red chillies

2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

1/4 cup coconut milk

1 tablespoon of fish sauce

1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

1/4 cup water

2-3 zuchinnis cut into medium size chunks

Salt to taste

Method:

  1. Pound together garlic and chillies to create a paste or if easier just use a garlic press and finely chop the chillies.
  2. Finely dice the eschallots or red onion
  3. Heat oil over medium heat, add onion and cook slowly until soft and transparent about 5 minutes
  4. Add garlic and chillies, turmeric powder and cook for about 1 minute, then add coconut milk, zuchinni, salt, fish sauce and water…bring to boil and simmer slowly until zuchinni is tender. You might need to add more coconut milk and/or water as you want the end result to be soupy and not dry.
  5. Serve as a delicious side dish to anything, but great with Balinese Pork and jasmine rice.

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Sunday Buffet @yellowflowercafe #ubud #penestanan

If you want a truly authentic Balinese buffet experience then this is it! Stunning setting, warm and friendly service, off the beaten track. Take your phone torch and trek up through the back lanes of Penastanan village on the outskirts of Ubud for a truly memorable feast,

View of Mt Agung from Yellow Flower Cafe
Red bean soup appetiser
Not just veg, Sunday buffet at Yellow Flower Café Ubud
Fern salad, tempeh, tofus, chicken lawar, sambal, pandan rice….list goes on!
Stunning setting for Sunday buffet at Yellow Flower Cafe Penestanan, Ubud.

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Rendang and Rawon rock at Waroeng Bernadette #penastanan #ubud

We were so excited to hear that a new Waroeng Bernadette had opened earlier this year in Penstanan, just on the outskirts of Ubud central.

Having visited their original establishments, in Mas and then in Ubud central in the past, we knew already from friends who live in Penastanan that the new restaurant is living up to high expectations from diners.

Serving authentic Javanese specialities, Warung Bernadette will definitely be giving one of our other old favourites Warung Mendez a run for its money! (But Mendez does have a wider range of dishes in their menu)?

We started with crispy Indonesian sweetcorn fritters, followed by beef rendang and beef rawon.

Crispy Indonesian corn fritters

The slow cooked beef rendang is melt in the mouth and served with pickled vegetables, tofu, tempe, greens in a delicious coconut sauce. Crackers and rice.

Beef rendang

The beef Rawon soup was redolent of the unique flavour of the keluak nuts which give it the trademark almost black colour. One of the best Rawon soups I’ve tasted, served with preserved egg and crackers.

Beef Rawon soup

Beautifully designed interiors, great service and just down the road from our villa in Penastanan.

Waroeng Bernadette in Penastanan, Ubud

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Bali Breakfast rice pancake #yellowflowercafe

This was a beautiful, light wheat free breakfast rice pancake enjoyed at one of our favourite breakfast spots in Bali, Yellow Cafe 2019 Best “blooming breakfast in Penestanan village in Ubud.

The homemade palm nectar and freshly grated coconut and bananas and berries are a sensational combination.

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High Five for Hujan Locale #ubud

It was lovely to drop back in to Hujan Locale in Ubud for a family lunch last Sunday. With the mix of colonial and Asian touches of decore, the backdrop of a traditional Balinese family compound and sunlight and beautiful breeze streaming in to the upper dining room, it is still a beautiful space made even better with their delectable cocktails and food.

True to Will Meryck style, the menu featured fresh seasonal Indonesian ingredients and at Hujan Locale, the menu ranges across specialities from various regions, with strong nods to Malaysian and Chinese flavours and styles.

The style is certainly more Pan Asian but the focus is on great Indonesian ingredients and is very different menu to that at Nusantara., so is a very good option as a contrast.

We began with the superb slipper lobster dumplings in a tangy tomato sauce.

Slipper lobster dumplings at Hujane Locale

The Crispy While Fish (Tilapia River Fish) served with a green papaya salad., lettuce leaves, and a tangy tamarind sauce …which followed was stunning in its presentation and deep fried in a way which separates the bones from the fillet making it easy to share and enjoy. The combination of the crispy fish, the sauce, papaya salad wrapped in lettuce leaves was delicious.

Whole Crispy Tilapia at Hujane Local, Ubud

We tried the light vegetable curry cooked in a mild coconut sauce with yellow rice. Lovely as a side and/or a vegetarian option.

Vegetable curry at Hujane Locale, Ubud

We finished our lavish lunch with the spectacular whole pig hock cooked in a sweet “Babi Kecap” style sauce, with steamed buns, cucumber and spring onions. The expertly deboned and shredded the pork at the table adding a sense of theatre to the occasion.

Definitely another High Five for Hujan Locale at Ubud. Here’s a link to my first review 7 years ago when it was just a new kid on the block.

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