Preparing
Balinese food abroad does not require an excess of complex equipment,
and with the increasing popularity of Asian cuisines around the
world, basic ingredients are generally easy to obtain. One important
item you'll need is a solid wooden chopping block (the
bigger the better) and a heavy cleaver.
This versatile item does everything
from chopping up a whole chicken to mincing meat and seafood,
bruising a stalk of lemon grass to smashing cardamom pods so they
release their fragrance; it is also used to finely chop the chillies,
shallots and fragrant roots for seasoning. Balinese cooks prefer
to use terracotta or clay pots, although these are increasingly
being augmented by metal pans. Stainless steel or
enamelled pans are recommended as the acidity in many dishes
makes the use of alumunium inadvisable.
The classic method
of cooking rice in Bali is to steam it in a cone of woven bamboo
that is inserted over a clay pot of boiling water. Many modern
cooks, however, are now turning to electric rice cookers,
which not only ensure perfectly cooked rice every time but also
keep cooked rice warm. A heavy pot with a firm-fitting lid is
a suitable substitute. For stir frying rice and noodles, and for
deep frying, nothing beats the wok. Its shape means that
food tossed during stir frying falls back in the pan and not outside,
and less oil is required than a conventional pan for deep frying.
In Bali, the wok is also used for braised dishes.
The simplest way
of steaming wrapped bundles of food a popular Balinese
cooking method is to place it on a perforated metal disc that
sits inside a wok, a few centimetres above boiling water, the
wok covered with a domed lid. If you don't have a wok, food can
be placed in the steaming basket of a pressure cooker, but be
sure not to use the valve on the lid during steaming.
Every Balinese kitchen
has a mortar and pestle, used for crushing spices and for making
a coarse paste of shallots, chillies and fragrant roots. There's
quite a knack in using the shallow grinding stone favoured by
the Balinese, and in most cases, a food processor with
a small bowl or a powerful blender will do the job adequately.
Banana leaves
are indispensable to the Balinese cook for wrapping food for steaming,
grilling and roasting. The leaf is wiped clean, then softened
either in a fire (a gas flame is ideal) or in boiling water before
being wrapped around the food. Aluminium foil can be substituted,
but it lacks the moisture and subtle flavour imparted by the banana
leaf.
