more bali

ever since i got a few epic cookbooks on my last visit to the states, i've been itching to make another balinese feast! i invited two friends over the see the new flat; the perfect excuse to cook up a storm.. as if i need an excuse. eating this food makes me feel like i am somewhere warm, even though the weather is pretty crummy outside. clockwise from the top is masi kuning (yellow rice), be siap base kalas (chicken in spicy coconut milk, serosop (braised banana flower and jackfruit), urab bali (bali-style mixed vegetables), and in the center is berkedel jagung (corn fritters) and fried tempe.

be siap base kalas / chicken in spicy coconut milk
adapted from the bali cookbook by lonny gerungan
serves 4

1 chicken, about 1.3 kg
1 lemongrass stalk
3 tbsp vegetable oil
spice paste
3 salam leaves (if you don't have them, leave it out)
400 ml thick coconut milk*
1 tbps melted palm sugar (corn syrup is an acceptable substitute)
salt to taste

separate the legs and breasts of the chicken and cut the carcass in half. trim the lemongrass, bruise the stalk, and tie the leaves together in a knot. heat the oil in a wok and fry the spice paste for about 3 minutes. add the lemongrass, salam leaves, and chicken pieces, and then stir-fry for about 2 minutes. add the coconut milk, melted palm sugar, and season with salt. simmer the chicken for about 35 minutes, until the juices run clear. serve the chicken in the sauce with rice.

*if you want to take this dish to another level, you can make the thick coconut milk yourself. grate the flesh of a coconut, mix with a cup of lukewarm water and soak for 15 minutes. squeeze and knead the soaked coconut in the water. strain, pressing out all the liquid through a fine strainer set above another bowl.

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spice paste for chicken
9 candlenuts
½ tsp white peppercorns
½ tsp black peppercorns
5 shallots, peeled and finely sliced
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
5 bird's eye chilies, sliced
5-cm piece of fresh galangal, sliced into coins
3-cm piece of fresh turmeric, peeled and finely chopped

use a mortar and pestle to pound the candlenuts and peppercorns into a fine paste. you may be tempted to use a food processor, but the taste and texture is definitely different. add the shallots, garlic, chilies, and turmeric, and pound again to a paste. add the galangal and bruise it a bit, leave it in larger pieces so you don't accidentally bite into one...

masi kuning / yellow rice
adapted from the bali cookbook by lonny gerungan
serves 4/6

500 g white rice (i used jasmine)
1 lemongrass stalk
1-cm piece of fresh turmeric, peeled and grated
100 ml thick coconut milk*(see above)
3 salam leaves
1 tsp salt

trim the lemongrass, bruise the stalk, and tie the leaves together in a knot. put the rice in a pan, add the coconut milk and enough warm water to cover by 2 cm. add the lemongrass, turmeric, salam leaves, and salt. bring to a boil and cook uncovered for 8 minutes. stir the rice with a wooden spoon, bring down to a simmer, and cook until the water has evaporated. transfer the half-cooked rice to a steamer, ensuring it rests above the water. i put the rice in a fine-mesh strainer in a pot with water at the bottom. cover and steam until tender, about 15 minutes. you may have to add more water to the bottom after a few minutes if it all evaporates.

it was a pretty risky setup, as i'd only made the long bean and sprout salad and the yellow rice before. everything was good except the occasional bite of supremely bitter galangal, which my indonesian friend suggested leaving in larger pieces, and *gasp* under-cooked chicken. i was really embarrassed about the latter, especially since i wasn't the one who got that piece. though i have come a long way with cooking, i haven't really been practicing on animal proteins so much. luckily at least one of my friends was brave enough to come to dinner at my place again.. well, you win some and you lose some. ^^;