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I have been to Bali many MANY times. At least three times study tours (primary, junior high and high school) where we did everything every students had to do, visiting all the obligatory Hindu temples, watching traditional dances, feeling nervous being around camera-hat-sunglasses-grabbing monkeys, buying barong t-shirt every single time, stopping by the beach for 15 minutes (!), eating crappy food, sleeping in a group of 5 on the same bed, nurturing our blossoming puppy love...all under the watchful eyes of our teachers. Oh what fun.
The other few times were sadly all for BUSINESS. Arrrghhh!!! Imagine wearing sets of full three piece business suit, walking in heels, carrying bags of laptop and documents, worrying about presentations and customers, in a resort hotel, while being surrounded by breaktakingly beautiful sceneries, and people in bikinis, shorts and flip flops. Talk about frustrating, I think I can never bitch enough about this. HAHA.
This is why, despite my repeated visits to Bali, I haven't truly enjoyed Bali the way I did in this trip...thanks to the wonderful arrangements made by my sis, with helps from her Bali veteran friends, I had a blast!
We visited must-visit-places I've missed from my previous visits, including this iconic...
Warung Made
A very charming place with laid back decor, it's a famous hangout for visitors, mostly internationals, with just a few locals. I bet the locals think food prices at this place are rather steep. But hey, sometimes it is not just about food, right? It's about the lively atmosphere, glancing around all the beautiful people, and taking in years of traditions and fun which are shown from all the old pictures hung on the walls.
To start, we ordered Sate Babi (Pork Satay). It's different from the ones we've tried before. They are red, spicy, tasty and the meat was tender. They were so good, we ordered a second batch.
Gado gado (Indonesian vegetable salad with peanut sauce) or Nasi Campur (mixed rice)? Can't decide, order a half and half! The gado gado really was a highlight for me. Saucy!
I couldn't get enough of fried rice in this trip. I hoped the gado gado could fulfill my veggie needs for the day, so I ordered this Half Nasi Goreng and Half Gado-Gado. The fried wasn't as good as other the street fried rice I had in Jakarta. The gado gado stole the show again.
For dessert, we ordered this lemon cheesecake. Soft, tangy and creamy, with a surprise of chocolate ganache.
My sister has been eyeing the black glutinuous rice and coconut ice cream for a while, and finally she got to try it. Sweet and exotic. Would you wanna eat it off a frog's open mouth though?
I know I would :p
Made's Warung
Kuta, Bali
Tel: +62 361 753039
Get the location map and more info here
What would be the perfect meal for my one night transit in Jakarta before flying to Bali? 5-star hotel buffet indulgence? A scrumptious Padang spread? Fancy schmancy Indonesian fusion? Na-ah! I want a lazy, ordered in (by SMS), carb on carb satisfier.....Nasi Mie Goreng Tek Tek (Fried Rice and Noodle Mix from a Street Cart Vendor)! Spicy and delicious, it got me totally high, put me to sleep almost instantly, critical to preserve all the energy I was gonna need for my flight the next day. Zzzzzz....the next day....
Hello, sunshine! I was so looking forward to the normally-crappy-yet-I-still-love airline food, only to learn that Air Asia domestic flights do not serve food. You have to purchase in flight food, and you're not allowed to bring outside food on board. Whoa! Luckily, before we boarded the flight, we had this wonderful brunch at one of the ordinary cafes at Bandara Soekarno Hatta's domestic departure terminal...
I ordered my all time favorite Mie Ayam (Indonesian Chicken Noodle). The texture of the noodle was not what I was expected, a bit overcooked, less chewy, but the chicken compensated it.
My sis ordered another Indonesian breakfast/brunch favorite, Soto Ayam (Indonesian chicken in broth), it was not bad at all, much better than what we expected, but not as good as Soto Ayam from famous outlets.
Something memorable from this cafe.....we love the vintage teacup and saucer used to serve our Indonesian hot coffee and hot tea, we even asked the waiter where to get them from. To our disappointment, his answer was "dunno". Sob sob.
What happens if I boarded a flight without any in flight entertainment, no magazine or book on hand, and still wanting more food?
I stared out the window gawking at the clouds and to me, the big fluffy ones looked like cotton candy and the small puckered ones look like pop corn. Hmmm....deliciously delusional.
How does it feel to be back to work from a fantastical vacation in heaven on earth, i.e. Bali?
It sucks.
Yet exciting. I miss my earthling friends, and I can't wait to show off share my vacation experiences.
Well, that's how I am, always yin and yang, plusses and minuses. Let's get to it.
Things I won't miss from Bali...
- The scorching April heat. It drove my shopping libido from fully charged to -100. I wish there's a mini air conditioning system I can carry around with me while shopping. Tasting the saltiness of my own sweat trickling furiously down my face while engaging in a serious bargaining business is everything but delicious.
- Having to negotiate prices all the time. My haggling skills had been reduced to nothing since I moved to Hong Kong. I suck! Here's an idea: How much for this hat? Rp. 50.000? I pay you Rp.60.o00 if you could give it to me before my scalp burns. Ok, maybe not that extreme, but close enough.
- The swarm of hungry mosquitoes which find my blood as delicious as liquid chocolate. They simply couldn't get enough of it! No repellent worked, I guess I was too tasty, or were they just too hungry?
- It's not Bali, it's me. I just found that I don't like dipping myself into sand laden, sticky, salty-bitter tasting sea water. No matter how serene, how clear, how blue, how crystal-like, how beautiful, how the soft waves heat the soft white sands, how every big wave drove the crowd into a frenzy, I'd prefer staying off the water. Oppps. To those who enjoy it, I applaud you.
What am I already missing from Bali then?
- Chilling out under a huge umbrella, with a tall glass of icy cold drink on one hand and an el-cheapo celeb gossip magazine on another, legs being massaged with frangipani scented oil, watching the sun descending into the sea, turning the sky red before everything goes dark. Wow.
- Bali's breath taking, jaw dropping beauty. It never ceases to amaze me. A temple sitting proudly on top of a stone cliff standing by a crystal clear blue sea, with white fierce waves hitting the rocks at its bottom? How is that even possible?? I just couldn't believe my eyes, every single time.
- Bali's ever so rich and vibrant traditional culture alongside modern convenience. The culture is so well reserved, despite all the free WiFi connection being available practically everywhere. Everywhere I looked, I saw the locals gorgeously decked their best white Balinese outfits, riding their modern motorcycles to the temple for worship, colorful offerings being presented, prayers being said, music being played, all with total respect and submissiveness we don't get to see every day in big modern cities.
- This may sound as a cliche, but in less commercial areas, everyone's so friendly, so laid back, the exact opposite of the always-in-a-hurry metropolitan bitches (me included)
- Many more, including all the great food, including...the famous...
Ibu Oka's Babi Guling (Balinese Roast Suckling Pig)
I am never the type of person who likes going against the main stream. When something is famous, it must be famous for a reason. Most of the time, I will love it, for as long as I don't have to queue for three hours under summer 32C heat, spend 90% of my monthly salary on it, or eat it while doing jumping jacks/sit ups/push ups (Hey! Quite a good exercise idea for me, although I doubt that it's gonna be effective).
Before really listening to Tony Bourdain's sarcastic commentaries, I didn't really like the guy, but after knowing that he shares the same love for Ibu Oka's roasted suckling pig, he shouldn't be that bad, right? Don't we all love him now? Maybe a little too much?
Have a look at this. My photograph doesn't do the dish any justice.
The meat was super tender, juicy, totally flavorful from all the herbs and spices. All the other parts were every bit as tasty and the meat, if not more, it just gets better with every bite. The skin parts were pieces of crackling goodness, when you are lucky, you might get really thin skin. Sometimes you might get slightly thicker skin, and it could be quite an exercise for your jaw. But still, I used the skin pieces to scoop steam rice plus the tasty side salad and...oh gawd...that moment, I forgot everything. The heat, the itchiness from numerous mosquito bites the night before....gone. There's nothing but this plate of deliciousness before me.
Look at me, giddy with anticipation, but still did my obligatory shots of the dish. Hehe.
Did the dish cost me an arm and a leg? Nope. A package of rice with a drink costs Rp.30.000 (less than USD3! WHATTT??? But, believe me, the locals do not find this that cheap ^_^). The new location is beautifully decorated with Balinese flavors all over...and be prepared to kick off your shoes and sit on your butt, okie? Girls with mini skirts? OK, select some tables with chairs, but let's face it...not as cool.
So when you see this sign, you're in for a tasty ride.
Babi Guling Ibu Oka
Jl. Tegal Sari No.2, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Tel: +62 361 976345
Holidayyy! Celebrateeee! (I am channeling the queen of pop, Madonna, minus the metal cone bra, sorry guys)...I can't wait, can't wait, can't wait, can't wait....
Today is my last day at work before my Easter holiday, and I am so beyond excited, my hands are trembling, I have a huge idiotic grin on my face - even a long list of pending tasks couldn't wipe that off, didn't realize that I have been skipping to and from the elevators instead of walking, and I have absolutely no mood to get anything done, all I wanted to do was day dreaming of my holiday. But that's normal, right?
Where am I off to this time?
One of my all time favorite destinations ever, the island of the Gods, a heaven on earth, an absolute beauty, a place where shorts and flip flops are the ultimate fashion statement, a place where pigs are roasted to perfection....so...hehehe stay tuned!
Speaking of pork, let me share this idiot proof, ultimate crowd pleaser recipe,
Grilled Pork Neck with Tamarind Dip
Grilled Pork Neck(serves 2)
- 2 fillet of pork neck (do not slice prior to grilling. if you don't eat pork, try chicken thigh fillet, leave skin on)
- marinate: fish sauce, dark soy sauce, sweet soy sauce, pepper, a squirt of lemon/lime juice
Poke pork neck fillet all over with fork or bamboo skewer, marinate for a few hours or overnight in the fridge. Preheat oven to 200C, lightly grease baking tray, grill pork neck until you have some beautiful brownage going, baste from time to time with the marinate, slice once done.
Tamarind Dip
- tamarind
- palm sugar
- fish sauce
- shallot, thinly sliced
- 2 red chilli
- freshly chopped corriander
- hot water
Dissolve tamarind and palm sugar in a small bowl of hot water, add fish sauce, shallot, chilli and corriander. Serve with pork neck slices.
Let me get back to my holiday madness chanting now...
Can't wait, can't wait, can't wait, can't wait, can't wait, can't wait....
I am sure than in each and every one of us, there is a thin person bitch cook party animal waiting to be unleashed. I am a bit of a party animal myself...well, as long as the party involves a lot of alcoh food, doesn't require me to wear anything I can't eat a lot be comfortable in, and do not need me to pretend laugh at jokes which aren't funny...I'm in.
This is why I like organizing cooking parties with my big eater dearest friends. Cook something delish, or learn and experiment how to cook something together, dress in whatever you like (except anything showing butt cheeks), with or without make up, and with maximum stomach capacity. This time, we learnt how to make our very first pie.
Creamy Mushroom Pie
We love savoury over sweet, and we all love mushrooms (who doesn't?), so mushroom pie it was. This experiment actually scared the crap outta me, I remember Jamie Oliver said something like we're bound to fail a few times before we can produce a decent pie...and failure is not only my middle name, it is pretty much my surname. So I was sure I was gonna screw up, big time. But hey, at least I had some people with me, just in case I needed to blame somebody. ;)
I adapted the pie crust recipe from Culinary Cafe's Basic Pie Crust and I made up the creamy mushroom filling.
Basic Pie Crust
(Yields: Enough for two 9-inch, I used the two batches separately, with an oval baking dish)
Ingredients
- 2 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- I added a dash of mixed dry italian herbs (oregano, thyme, sage and rosemary)
- 1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup water
Combine the flour, salt, and sugar in food processor. Add butter; process until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 8 to 10 seconds. Add ice water in a slow steady stream through feed tube of food processor with machine running, until the dough holds together for no longer than 30 seconds. Turn dough onto piece of plastic wrap. Press into flat circle, or rectangle depending on what shape you intend to roll out pastry to. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour. May be frozen, double wrapped in plastic, for several months. I did freeze the other half, and used it two months later, after defrosting it in the fridge for 1 day. It was still as good as the fresh one.
Spend the one hour refrigeration time chit chatting, playing mah jong, video games, or whatever you fancied, as long as it doesn't involve nibbling on the pie filling (at least leave some for the pie, dammit!). Roll two parts of dough (for top and bottom)...
Look at the way we rolled our first pie crust...I bet it was wrong from every angle. I tried minimizing all the mess by placing the dough in between two baking paper. If you have some parchment paper, that would work even better.
After grueling with the crust....place the crust and gently press to fit the baking dish/pie dish, leaving some excess on the outside of the dish.
Ta daaaa....my very first pie crust!
Creamy Mushroom Filling
- 2 or more kinds of mushrooms (you can make more and keep the rest to be eaten with rice/bread/pasta)
- a bit of butter and olive oil
- 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
- heavy cream
- salt, black pepper, sugar, mixed dry italian herbs (oregano, sage, rosemary, thyme)
Saute garlic in butter and a bit of olive oil, add mushrooms, cook until wilted, add cream until you achieve the desired thickness (not runny), season, let cool while playing with the pie crust. Once the crust is done and the filling is cool, pour filling into the crust... 
Brush some beaten egg on the edges, cover with the top of the crust, gently shape it (mine was ugly, you can do better than this)
My friend suggested pressing fork on the edges to make it prettier.
I decided to place a giant nipple circle in the middle just for fun, poked a few hole, brushing it with egg again...
...and stroke some fierce poses before dumping the pie into the preheated oven. 
We peeped at our pie impatiently every few minutes, witnessing all the butter running down on the baking sheet, the savoury scent of butter made my flat smelt absolutely heavenly...and before we knew it, the pie was ready.
It may look kinda ugly, but in my eyes, they are the most beautiful looking pie there was (maybe this was how my mum felt when she looked at me as a baby. No matter how many times she heard the comments, she just wouldn't believe that I was an ugly baby *cough* denial)
Savoury, buttery, flaky crust with creamy mushroom filling...perfect with hot lemon tea. Party animals, get your ingredients ready and see you at the next party!
I easily forget most of my firsts (first crush, first kiss, first love...ew!) as they generally were bad, but I won't forget my first pie.
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