Balinese cuisine is a culinary tradition of the Balinese people who hail from the volcanic island of Bali. Combine fresh vegetables, and meat, with several spices like a banana leaf and chilies. Don’t miss out on the 7 best local cuisines you must try in Bali.
Some of the Indonesian cuisine not only show indigenous traditions but also influences from other Indonesian, regional, Chinese and Indian cuisines.
The Islanders are predominantly Hindu, and their culinary traditions are somewhat different from the rest of Indonesia. Festivals and religious celebrations involve many special foods prepared as offerings to the gods and other dishes shared during the celebration.
Balinese Traditional Spices
Have you ever wondered why so many spices are used in traditional Balinese dishes? Because all spices are intended as offerings to the gods. Moreover, few dishes reflect the island’s incredible culinary diversity.
In Bali food and spices people are usually using Basa Gede, also known as Basa Rajang, which is a spice paste that is a staple in many Balinese dishes. Ingredients consist of lime leaves, turmeric, ginger, shallots, garlic, large red chilies, small chilies, candlenut, black pepper, white pepper, nutmeg, cloves, tabiya bun, bangle, cumin leaves, and pepper. All spices are ground until smooth and then fried until cooked.
Best Balinese Food
The local food is very tasty, colorful, and therefore eye-catching. Balinese eat mostly with their hands, a very pleasant experience and something new that you rarely see in many other countries.
Fried rice & Fried Noodles
Nasi goreng is fried rice. Typical Indonesian food is served in all restaurants and snack bars. Made from steamed rice and cooked to brown due to the addition of sweet soy sauce. It is usually mixed with minced beef, chicken, or shrimp paste, and mostly with fried shallots or green onions and carrots.
Mie Goreng or fried noodles are traditionally made out of egg noodles, soy sauce, vegetables, and a variety of meat. Since Mie Goreng is loved by everyone you can almost find it everywhere. It is usually seasoned with chili or garlic.
Nasi Ayam Betutu
One of Bali’s most famous is Nasi Ayam Ayam Betutu is a Balinese traditional dish that consists of whole chicken meat grilled on a fire shell as slow-cooked. Ayam Betutu uses whole chicken stuffed with various special Balinese ingredients. The Betutu method can be used not only with chicken but also with duck. The taste is like a Balinese slow-cooked duck.
Balinese people usually serve Ayam Betutu with rice, mixed vegetables, peanut sauce, sate lilit, and spices such as Sambal Matah (Balinese sauce) on banana leaves. You can enjoy it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner served on top of a banana leaf. With just one plate of white rice, you can enjoy authentic Balinese flavors and tangy yet incredibly delicious dishes.
You can find this Ayam Betutu in Street vendors and even in fancy restaurants.
Ikan Bakar
Jimbaran-Style Ikan Bakar (Grilled Fish) Although not particularly authentic Balinese, before you eat there, you should go to the local market and buy your own fish, and cook it near the shop there. The fish and seafood are fresh and sometimes still alive.
Ikan Bakar (Grilled Fish) is served on the beachfront of Jimbaran Bay at sunset. Toes are bent in the sand and candle are lit for a life-awakening experience.
Bubur Mengguh
Bubur Mengguh is a Balinese rice porridge that originates from Kintamani village. This dish consists of rice porridge, peanuts, chili peppers, shredded chicken, and Urab, making it different. The porridge is typically cooked with coconut oil and salt. The taste is very complete, combining a savory and slightly spicy blend.
Nasi Campur Bali (Mixed rice)
Balinese Nasi Campur usually consists of rice, some meat, lots of veggies, and the obligatory sambal. There are multiple types of rice, white rice, and brown rice. There’s also a wide variety of veggies like bean sprouts and spinach with a selection of meat like pork dishes, minced meat, and meat on a stick or sate lilit.
To top it all off, there’s sambal as the main condiment for taste. if you like spicy food you can add extra chilli sauce (Sambal Matah). Basically, anything can be put together with rice and be called Nasi Campur. That’s why Nasi Campur is a popular dish in Bali
Fried Bananas
Pisang Goreng is perfect for those with a sweet tooth. These bananas come in a variety of shapes and sizes, from small to large varieties. Regardless of size, they are all deliciously fried and topped with condensed milk, honey, palm sugar, or ice cream for extra sweetness.
If you love just plain one, mixed it with kopi Bali, the Balinese coffee beans that give you adequate regular acidity, and a strong aroma of fruity, and intensity.
Babi Guling (Suckling Pig)
Babi Guling is known for its delicious dish with slow-cooked suckling or spit-roast pig. The whole pig is roasted on a spit over coconut husks or wood to tender perfection. You can find Babi Guling everywhere. it’s like a signature Balinese dish pork.
This Babi Guling is an authentic dish and one of the favorites of tourists who visit Bali. They mostly eat pork with Lawar. It is a crunch-tender mix of vegetables, grated coconut, and minced pork mixed with various heady herbs and spices, and often fresh blood.
Also Read: Best Budget Glamping Bali to Heal Your Soul
Sate Lilit ( Traditional Balinese Dish )
Sate Lilit is a culinary gem from the Indonesian island of Bali. Unlike traditional satay, where meat is skewered on slender sticks, Sate Lilit involves wrapping minced meat around flat, wider skewers, usually made from bamboo or lemongrass. This unique side dish preparation method gives the dish its distinctive name, “lilit” meaning “to wrap” in Indonesian.
Bali Street food and Dessert
A meal will not be complete if we don’t eat the dessert after that. In Bali, there is also a local dessert that you can try only in Bali. Mostly you can find them in the local market, or a woman walking selling the food, or in street food.
There are many local desserts that are mainly made with rice flour, glutinous rice, sugar, coconut milk, and tropical fruits. Some of the most common desserts in Bali include Wajik, Pankong (rice flour coconut milk cake), Jaja Batun (sticky rice in palm sugar soup), and Buboo Ingin (sticky rice cake). Pisang Rai, (steamed banana), Kerepong (rice cake with liquid palm sugar), Jamu (lime juice, honey, with ginger), and more.
How Much Does a Typical Meal Cost in Bali?
The food in Bali is very affordable and that goes with Balinese food, although the prices are various mostly a meal in Bali cost about IDR 20.000 to IDR 60.000. and about IDR 5000 to IDR 15.000 for Balinese dessert. The prices can be different in location and area, some are higher and some are not. But the average daily price is around it.
