Jukut Belimbing

Star Fruit Leaves In Sweet Sauce

Starfruit trees grow in many Balinese gardens, a convenient source of leaves for vegetable dishes. The leaves are crunchy with a slightly bitter tang. If not available, substitute with spinach leaves.

Ingredients:

• 400 g (13 oz) starfruit leaves, washed
• ½ cup basic spice paste
• 2 cups coconut milk
• 2 salam leaves
• 300 g (10 oz) beef rump, minced
• 30 cm (12 in) square of banana leaf
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black peppercorns, crushed

Directions:

Bring 3 liters (12 cups) of lightly salted water to the boil in a stockpot. Add starfruit leaves, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain leaves, then cool to room temperature in ice water. Drain and dry well.

Place half of the spice paste into saucepan and saute for 2 minutes. Add coconut milk and salam leaf, reduce heat and simmer until sauce thickens.

Season minced beef with the remaining spice paste. Place on banana leaf and roll up very tightly into the shape of a sausage. Steam for 15 minutes. Allow to cool, open banana leaf and break meat into its original minced consistency.

Mix the coconut milk and minced beef well and add starfruit leaves and mix again. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve at room temperature with steamed rice.

Helpful hints: You can steam the meat in a small covered dish, if preferred.

Semur Lidah

Ox Tongue in Sweet Nutmeg Sauce

Although native to Indonesia, the nutmeg is not often used in cooking. One exception is the braised meat dish known as Semur, which is generally made with beef. This Balinese version uses ox tongue and partners the inimitable fragrance of nutmeg with sweet soy sauce.

Ingredients:

• 2.5 liters (10 cups) water
• 600 g (1 ¼ lb) ox tongue, washed well
• 3 cups beef stock
• 4 tablespoons sweet soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons thin sauce
• ¾ teaspoon ground white pepper
• ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 3 fragrant lime leaves
• 3 tablespoons fried shallots
• 3 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and cut in 2 cm (¾ in) dice
• fried shallots to garnish

Directions:

Bring water to the boil in a heavy stockpot, add whole ox tongue and bring back to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer approximately 1 hour, or until tongue is nearly cooked. Strain stock and cool tongue down to room temperature. Peel skin off with a sharp knife.

Slice ox tongue in thin even slices and place in saucepan. Fill up with beef stock and add both lots of soy sauce, pepper nutmeg, lime leaves and fried shallots. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add potatoes and continue to simmer until potatoes are cooked. Garnish with fried shallots.

Helpful hints: The flavors of this dish seem to intensify if it is kept and reheated; add the garnish only when serving.

Kambing Mekuah

Balinese Lamb

Goat is more likely to be used than lamb in Bali to make this curry-like dish.

Ingredients:

• 600 g (1 ¼ lb) boneless lamb leg or shoulder, cut in 2 cm (¾ in) cubes
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 cup basic spice paste
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed
• 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
• 12 whole cardamom pods, bruised
• 1 stalk lemon grass, bruised
• 1 ½ cups water
• 2 cups coconut milk

Directions:

Bring 3 liters (12 cups) of water to the boil in a large pot. Add lamb cubes, cook for 5 minutes then pour off the water

Heat oil, add the spice paste and coriander and fry for 2 minutes over medium heat. Add lamb, vinegar, cardamom, lemon grass and 1 ½ cups water. Bring to the boil and simmer until three- quarters cooked.

Add coconut milk, bring back to boil and simmer, uncovered, until meat is tender. Should the sauce reduce too much, add a little chicken stock. The sauce should be creamy in consistency.

Serve with steamed rice or compressed rice cakes, fried shallots, lemon slices and sliced celery.

Helpful hint: The lamb can be replaced by either beef or chicken.

Bubuh Injin

Black Rice Pudding

It's hard to find a foreign visitor to Bali who does not fall in love with the wonderful nutty flavor and meltingly smooth texture of Black Rice Pudding, served with a swirl of creamy coconut milk on top.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup black glutinous rice
• ¾ cup white glutinous rice
• 2 pandan leaves
• 5 cups water
• ½ cup palm sugar syrup
• pinch of salt
• 1 ½ cup freshly squeezed thick coconut milk

Directions:

Rinse both lots of rice thoroughly for 2 minutes under running water. Drain. Put 5 cups water, both lots of rice and pandan leaf into heavy pan. Simmer over medium heat for approximately 40 minutes.

Add palm sugar syrup and continue to cook until most of the liquid has evaporated. Season with a pinch of salt. Remove from heat, allow to cool. Serve at room temperature, topped with freshly squeezed coconut milk.

Helpful hints:

As fresh coconut milk turns rancid fairly quickly, a pinch of salt is usually added to the milk to help preserve it for a few hours. A more effective alternative is to cook the coconut milk with 1 teaspoon of cornflour diluted in a little water; heat gently, stirring constantly, for a couple of minutes. This coconut sauce will keep overnight.

Milk made from instant powdered coconut will not turn rancid, although the flavor is not as good as fresh coconut milk.