My Balinese Story

As a proud Balinese, I’m excited to share a piece of our vibrant culinary heritage with travelers visiting Bali, Indonesia. While souvenirs like batik or wood carvings are popular , chili sauce (sambal) and instant spices are unique, practical, and deeply authentic choices. These flavorful treasures capture the essence of Balinese cuisine, making them perfect for gifting or bringing Bali’s taste home. In this article, I’ll explain why these culinary souvenirs are special, share my personal experience using instant spices, recommend specific seasonings, compare paste and powder forms, and offer tips for buying them at local supermarkets and mini markets.

While I enjoyed the sweet romance and characters in "The Best Thing," especially the thoughtful gesture of "ganchao tea" (which is licorice root tea, 甘草茶), it sparked a different story in my mind: the fascinating and often overlooked world of Indonesian Jamu. Just as the drama has its own unique appeal, so too does this traditional herbal medicine, deserving of its own recognition. Perhaps, like the subtly sweet and potentially soothing qualities of licorice root tea offered with care, Jamu holds its own unique power to soothe, heal, and connect us to Indonesia's rich heritage.

The buzz around Tjie Tjap's expansion reached Renon, and I had to see if the new location lived up to the hype—especially after the Uncle Roger phenomenon at their Sunset Road spot!

Bali is a dream destination with its stunning beaches and vibrant culture, but many visitors worry about the dreaded Bali Belly—traveler’s diarrhea. While it’s a real concern, there are many myths surrounding it. This article will uncover the truth behind Bali Belly and offer practical tips to avoid it.

Bali, as a tourist destination, offers a variety of culinary choices, but it may pose some challenges for Muslim travellers. You might be hesitant, considering the many places that serve suckling pig or pork. You may also be concerned, thinking it will be difficult to find halal food when staying in Denpasar. From bustling street food stalls to well-established restaurants, halal options are plentiful, ensuring that your culinary experience in Denpasar is as enjoyable and diverse as its vibrant culture and stunning landscapes. In this article, I will give some recommendation for you who staying in Denpasar.  I gave the address closest to Denpasar city center or the address of their oldest restaurant, but you can also try the restaurant closest to your staycation location.

For you who are staying in Denpasar , especially the Renon and Kreneng areas, you must come shopping at this supermarket!

Bali has a variety of typical foods like babi guling , lawar, etc. One of them is betutu chicken. One of the restaurants that serves the most delicious betutu chicken, Warung Ni Kadek Wati is located in Denpasar City. This time, we will visit this place and enjoy their special signature dishes!

Bali is famous for its special spices. In Balinese spices, there are various kinds of spices that make the taste of food even richer. Balinese spices, picture from Canva AI This time, I will discuss one of the typical Balinese spices, namely basa genep. You can try making Basa Genep and combine it with ingredients available at home.

Gudeg is a traditional Yogyakarta meal that takes a long time to prepare and celebrates sweet flavors with a hint of unique spices. Gudeg is a distinctive dish that is made from jackfruit stewed in a coconut milk sauce with different spices. The warm, delicate jackfruit meat in the gudeg dish combines with unique spices to create a flavor symphony that is difficult to forget. To enjoy this Yogyakarta signature dish, we don't need to go to Java. Nowadays, the gudeg menu has spread throughout Indonesia, including Bali. We can eat gudeg in a stall called angkringan.  

Balinese food is always interesting to try. One of Balinese favorite menu is babi guling or suckling pig. Off course, this menu is for people who are able to consume pork and lard. But if you love to eat pork and the feel the exotic spices, you must try the Balinese Babi Guling.

Apart from suckling pig and betutu, tipat cantok and rujak are two famous Balinese foods. These foods are delicious and also do not contain pork or lard, so they are safe for people who do not consume pork. This time, let’s take a look of tipat cantok and rujak in this article. Maybe you will love this food after trying it!

Indonesian food is very popular in the world. For example, there are rendang and fried rice. In Bali itself, there are suckling pig dishes and also chicken/duck betutu style. Today, let's try to make 2 traditional dishes. You can cook this for lunch or dinner to your family 😊