The Food of Bali: Authentic Recipes from the Island of the Gods (Periplus World Food Series)

Rating:
Summary: Excellent guide to Balinese cuisine
Review: During my visit to Bali and my stay at the Ritz Carlton, I was one of the few people who enjoyed a special Balinese meal prepared at my table by the Executive Chef Mr. von Holzen. I had the opportunity to read both his books and found them easy to follow and the finished product as depicted by the numerous pictures do not come close to the real beauty and appetizing dishes that Mr. von Holzen produces in real life. I highly recommend these books for any gourmet or someone who is interested in the Polinesian cuisine. Dr. Steve C. Kemiji

Rating:
Summary: Heinz
Review: I'm afraid Dnet from Australia has fallen prey to the kind of PC liberal attitude that is every bit as ignorant as any conservative bias. My husband and I recently had the pleasure of taking a cooking class with Heinz, and I'm happy to report he is devoted to sharing the real cusine of Bali with the world. Heinz is married to a woman from Bali, and together they run perhaps the only restaurant on the island devoted purely to the cuisine of that country. At the restaurant, he clearly respects and adores his staff and they him. Dnet might not be aware the the majority of warangs on the island serve mainly Indonesian food with a just a few dishes from Bali. Heinz also has built up a network of sustainable farmers along with independent fishermen and shopkeepers to supply his restaurant. We were struck by by his compassion and understanding of the economic situation facing his fellow islanders, and his efforts to train a new generation of Balinese chefs who might proudly show the world their fine cuisine. In addition, Heinz is devoted to the conservation of the endangered sea turtles of Bali, and has used much of his money toward those efforts. Honestly, I wish people would try to learn a little more about an author before making smug snap judgements about him. Plus, the cookbook is pretty darn great.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful photography!
Review: My husband and I recently used our time share in Nusa Dua, Bali. It was a delightful experience, and this book is a wonderful souvenir of our stay on the island. The seafood at Jimbaron Bay was mouthwatering, and I can hardly wait to recreate some of the recipes in this book. It is unusual to find a book that combines the culture, beauty of the island, and food preparation as well as this does. It is a great buy!

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful photography!
Review: My husband and I recently used our time share in Nusa Dua, Bali. It was a delightful experience, and this book is a wonderful souvenir of our stay on the island. The seafood at Jimbaron Bay was mouthwatering, and I can hardly wait to recreate some of the recipes in this book. It is unusual to find a book that combines the culture, beauty of the island, and food preparation as well as this does. It is a great buy!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent!!!
Review: My wife and I went on our honeymoon to Bali. We ate at the Ritz-Carlton, which sucked, and the Inter-Continental which was excellent, AND the local warungs. We enjoyed the warungs the most. But this book still helps give an understanding of Balinese cooking. Beautiful pictures show how elegant this simple cooking can be!!! Highly recommended. I've cooked a few of the recepies, wonderful! Come on over for dinner!!

Rating:
Summary: The Food of Bali
Review: Swiss-born chef Heinz Von Holzen has his finger in every cooking pot in Bali as the proprietor of two restaurants and operator of a cooking school (visitors can take an intensive half-day course which includes a provision-buying expedition to local fish and produce markets). Most warungs, restaurants, and hotels on Bali serve classic Indonesian fare: Von Holzen's Bumbu Bali and Kecak restaurants on Nusa Dua peninsula are the only establishments on the island devoted solely to authentic native cooking. A paean to Balinese culinary arts and culture, The Food of Bali reveals and shares the secrets of the Balinese kitchen for the very first time.
An outspoken champion of "Bali's real cuisine," Von Holzen designed this book for the cook who wants to learn about the social and historical context in which Balinese food is created and enjoyed. An extensive introduction explains how climate, geography, and centuries of outside influences (Chinese, Indian, Muslim, Portuguese, Spanish, English, and Dutch traders and invaders) have affected the evolution of this extraordinary diet. He gives would-be chefs much more than the breezy cookbook they bargained for: the first two-thirds of the book offers an intimate tour of Balinese life, household cooking practices, the cult of rice, and the local spice markets and stalls. We come to appreciate the tripartite role of food as sustenance, sacrificial temple offering to appease the gods, and essential ritual component of Bali-Hindu religious ceremonies. As with everything else on Bali, food is inextricably intertwined with faith-it may support mundane human life, but its essence also nourishes the revered,visiting ancestral deities during sacred rites and celebrations.
Divided into three parts, the "Food in Bali" division transports us to an island marked by natural abundance--graced with fertile rice fields, coconut plantations, tropical fruit trees, coffee bushes, flowers, edible wild greens, and fresh fish. Rice, always a subject of great passion, is the staple food of Bali: it thrives in the garden of the gods as the gift of Dewi Sri, the most widely worshipped and beloved deity on the island. The growth, preparation and consumption of food in Bali gives rise to lovingly crafted networks of shrines and a lifestyle of thankful daily offerings to the life-giving rice goddess: every face in Bali lights up with joy at the mention of her name. Von Holzen includes all aspects and rhythms of rice cultivation, from the new high-yield strains to the village "subak" cooperative which regulates rice production and apportions irrigation water for each community.
The second section, "Cooking in Bali," steps through the doorway of the family kitchen to familiarize us with Balinese eating customs and basic cooking equipment and utensils (a wood-fired stove, a blackened clay pot to steam rice and leaf-wrapped foods, and a second gas stove to boil water and fry). Like pirates prying open a buried treasure chest, we explore the contents of the fabled Balinese cupboard: Von Holzen rummages through wooden compartments holding a tantalizing array of unusual local spices, herbs, and seasonings (cloves, palm sugar, dried shrimp paste, chilies, candle nuts, and cinnamon bark). Tourists rarely get to glimpse Balinese life within the high walls of the family compound: here, we have eye-opening photos of villagers hand-making large ceremonial quantities of rice and meat-filled banana leaf offerings and rows of delectable chicken satés. The Food of Bali even penetrates a sacred innermost pavilion to capture white-robed priests enjoying a gorgeous, decorative feast within temple festival grounds.
The final segment, "The Recipes," enables you to recreate "the enchantment of Bali in your own kitchen at home" with Von Holzen's collection of easy-to-follow recipes. The beauty of Bali is reflected in the artistically prepared dishes shown in brilliantly photographed, full-page illustrations bursting with flavor. (These colorful gastronomical displays could incite an excitable reader to jump the first plane back to Jimbaran Bay to gorge on these favorite specialties firsthand!) Traditional Balinese chefs like to use a variety of flavors, textures, spices, and foodstuffs invariably supported by a secure round mound of local "nasi putih," (steamed white rice). We master the popular red, white, black, and yellow rice standbys: coconut rice, nasi goreng, and conical nasi kuning (yellow rice embellished with coconut milk, turmeric, butter, and chicken stock). Exotic tastes and new aromas attack your senses on every page as the authors cover the intricate preparation of the Balinese "base"-the sauces, condiments, and marinades that form the cornerstone of Balinese food presentation. Unfurl a banana leaf plate and fire up your coconut husk grill for a minced seafood "saté lilit" on lemon grass spears garnished with white frangipani blossoms! Recommended for travel and cooking aficionados alike, The Food of Bali celebrates Bali's "tropical bounty set in the shadow of the volcanoes"; it will tickle your taste buds and get your culinary juices flowing. Use its appendix of mail order suppliers to arm yourself with those hard to find ingredients and embark on a private, at-home Balinese eating escapade!