Coconut Rice Recipes

Coconut Red Rice (Nasi Merah Mesanten) This is based on a Sri Lankan milk rice that I tasted in Galle a few years ago. It is not unlike Nasi Uduk (page 78) except for the obvious difference of the grain and the fact that it is set to cool in a dish and served cut […]

Coconut Pannacotta

Elegant, ivory white and melts in the mouth, Coconut Pannacotta, this sublime treat is a blend of coconut and pandan – Asia’s classic dessert duo – tinged with the seductive surprise of orange. There is just enough gelatine to make the pannacottas voluptuous and not too firm (but if you live in the tropics as […]

All the ways to enjoy coconut in Bali

Coconut, grated In Bali, fresh coconut is always the starting point for recipes featuring coconut – whether it is grated or in the form of coconut milk. A coconut is split open and the flesh is priced out from the shell. The pieces are either left raw or roasted over a flame before being grated […]

RECIPE OF THE MONTH: Balinese-style Paella

    So here it is! Casa Luna’s signature dish, which was inspired by – you guessed it – a trip to Spain. I devoured paella nearly every day when I visited in 1991, and in Madrid in the midst of probably my tenth version, I had an epiphany, or rather one of those ‘what’s […]

Bali The Food of My Island Home – Second Edition just released!

On the table before me lies my favourite Balinese meal: nasi campur, a serve of freshly steamed rice topped with small helpings of delicious things. There is braised tempeh, gently spiced smoked sardines, wok-fried water spinach with a scattering of sliced chillies, amber-tinged chicken, warm sprouts and green amaranth tossed in peanut sauce, plus fried […]

RECIPE OF THE WEEK: Braised Pork with Kecap Manis

This is a Chinese-influenced dish, and the giveaway is the use of kecap manis, the local version of Chinese soy sauce that is thick, sweet and subtly spiced. Kecap manis became prominent on Balinese market shelves in the 1960s and 70s and has remained a favourite ever since. (In fact, all seasonings in bottles are […]

RECIPE OF THE WEEK: Black Rice Risotto with Salmon

1 cup glutinous black rice, soaked overnight 3 tablespoons regular white rice, soaked for 1 hour 600 ml water 4 x 150 g Salmon fillets, skin on Sea Salt 5 tablespoons butter 4 medium leeks, finely sliced 3 tablespoons seeded mustard 2 tablespoons lime juice 4 Kaffer lime leaves 500 ml chicken stock Freshly ground […]

RECIPE OF THE WEEK: Chargrilled Squid

                                  This is one of the many barbecued dishes that are served by the sea at Jimbaran. In what was formally a rustic coastal eating place dotted with simple grass huts, there are now hundreds of bamboo tables and […]

RECIPE OF THE WEEK: Gado Gado

Another Indonesian dish that varies from island to island. In Bali, Gado-Gado or jukut mesantok, as it is known in Bali, consist of spinach, bean sprouts, snack beans, tofu and rice cake. It is served in small warungs or sold by street vendors, who mix the sauce to order using a large mortar and pestle. […]

Bakmi Mania

I’m crazy about mie. Not mie as in me but mie as in Bakmi. I confess I am not an expert and I only like bakmi ayam, but, hey, that’s ok. I can think of worse addictions. The secret is in the unctuous, full-flavoured, sweetly meaty, slow-brewed chicken stock . Then there is the quality […]