A
banana-leaf production line
offerings of meat are prepared
in bulk.
Various vegetables such as green
beans, leaves from the starfruit tree or young fern tips, young
jackfruit and green papaya are steamed and finely diced or grated.
These are set out in readiness for the mixing of the lawar,
together with a seasoned coconut milk: sauce, bowls of finely chopped
roots and chillies, roughly ground spices, slivers of palm sugar,
wedges of fragrant kaffir lime, several types of chilli-based
sambal, a bowl of salt, piles of crisp fried shallots,
a bowl of fresh blood and the shredded cartilage. This is joined
by the coarsely shaved flesh of a coconut which has been roasted
in the coals of the kitchen stove.
The task of mixing all these ingredients
together to create the lawar is considered so specialised
that either a ritual food specialist or the most senior male in
the family compound is called in for the task. First into a huge
enamelled bowl goes a handful of the shaved coconut, then a splash
of blood is worked in by hand, turning the coconut bright red, the
colour of Brahma (who is, along with Vishnu and Shiva, one of the
three manifestations of the Hindu supreme being). One by one, other
seasonings and ingredients are added and kneaded, creating four
different types of lawar, each based on one of the
four steamed vegetables.
The lawar is generally
served on pieces of banana leaf (the original disposable plate),
and if there is any left over after a small family celebration,
it is wrapped in banana leaf and steamed so that, in the absence
of refrigeration, it will keep fresh until the evening or following
day. Another festive favourite that is also available on market
days is the famous spit-roasted pig, be guling celeng,
better known by its Indonesian name, babi guling.
This can be made with a very young suckling pig, but normally in
Bali a moderately sized pig is stuffed with a mixture of chillies,
fragrant roots, herbs and spices, its skin liberally anointed with
crushed turmeric dissolved in water. The pig is slowly roasted over
a fire until the skin turns crisp and golden, and the flesh becomes
meltingly tender and delicately flavoured by the stuffing. Babi
guling is so delicious that it's not surprising that Balinese
do not reserve it solely for festivals.
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