Another first for me in Bali was booking myself onto a cooking class. After a failed attempt to book at Casa Luna I picked up a leaflet for Payuk Bali in a tourist information booth and sent the company an email. The reply came straight away and after a few emails back and forth I was booked in a morning course. When the day came, after some communication confusion, I waited in the wrong place to be picked up. The man in charge was very friendly about it however and we were soon on our way. There were two other travellers on the course and we all got to know each other throughout the morning.
First stop was at the local market. Our guide took us around and pointed out some of the more exotic fruit and veg. He explained that we wouldn't buy anything for our class from here though because it wasn't all the fresh and our stomachs might be unaccustomed to the bacteria... bit strange, but I'd rather have fresh ingredients.
Second stop was by a small elementary school. He first took us into a rice paddy nearby to explain a little about growing the rice and we then went into the school to give a gift of pencils and notepads to the children. He told us that 20% of the price of the course is donated to the school and he takes some of that to buy a notepad and pencil for us participants to give to the children. I thought this was a lovely touch and it was nice to see the school to compare with my school in Korea.
Then we got back into the car and drove a little further on to the home complex. Before we started the cooking we were shown how to make traditional Hindu offerings. These are littered all around the place in Bali, on the pavement, shop fronts and at alters. We made two types, one for daily offerings and the other for when visiting a temple. The lady helping us was so friendly, a real grandmother-ly figure. When we'd finished making the offering we saw how they make coconut oil and fresh coffee.
And then onto the cooking. The course was incredibly well organised and the 3 chefs helpful and informative. We cooked seven different dishes;
Soup Timun - Cucumber and bean soup.
Gado-Gado - Vegetable salad with Peanut sauce.
Nasi Kuning - Yellow Rice.
Sate Lilit - Minced fish skewers with spices.
Pepes Ikan - Grilled Fish in banana leaf.
Ayam Bumbu Bali - Balinese Fried Chicken.
Kolak Pisang - Braised Banana saba in palm sugar gravy.
This was a fantastic class and I would recommend it to anyone visiting Ubud. The kitchen is at the back of the housing complex overlooking a beautiful ravine with coconut trees and rice paddies. It's run by Payuk Bali and cost 350,000 Rp (£25). More info at their website: Payuk Bali.
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| Local Market |
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| Paraphernalia for offerings |
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| Eggs eggs eggs! |
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| Durian fruit. Smells bad, tastes worse. |
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| Smelly fishes. |
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| The entrance to the school |
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| Middle courtyard of the school. |
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| Kiddies. |
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| Bye bye! |
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| Our offerings |
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| The perfume for the offerings |
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| Flowers in my hair |
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| Our cooking group. Eva from Czech Republic, Carolyn from the UK via America and little ol' me. (and the lady who showed us how to make the offerings.) |
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| Fried Jack Fruit |
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| The kitchen |
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| Crushing the coffee |
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| Spices |
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| Traditional Balinese blender. |
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| Beans |
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| My tomato flower. |
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| Fish Skewers |
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| Mincing the fish |
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| Grilled fish in banana leaves |
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| Pretty food covers |
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| Cucumber soup |
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| A bit of everything from the main course |
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| Braised banana |
