6 Delicious Foods You Must Eat In Bali

If you are looking to grab some food while you type away at your laptop, then check out some of the delicious food you must eat in Bali. There are several to choose from, and here at Tabi Together we have a list of places where they may be available, in some of the best cafés to work in Canggu, so it may be an idea to try some different ones. From snacks like lilit sate to more substantial dishes like nasi goreng, lawar, nasi campur, and gado gado, there is something for everyone.

If you happen to find yourself at a ceremony, then you may be served baby guling which is essentially a slow-cooked or spit-roasted stuffed suckling pig. The delicious pork meat is brined and then rubbed with several spices including turmeric, ginger, cumin, coriander, cloves, and nutmeg as well as some that are harder to find including candlenuts, galangal, and daun salam. The pig is then cooked over an open fire then disassembled into white meat, blood sausage, and crispy crackling to be served with rice and salad. 

You can expect to find more than just chicken peanut satay in Bali as the popular snack served on a stick can feature variations of meat and fish. Each one should be spiced and wrapped around the skewer instead of being spiked as lilit means wrap. The meat or fish is marinated in coconut milk with lime juice and lemongrass with a range of spices including turmeric and coriander but also garlic, shallots, chilies, galangal, and kaffir lime. You can have the snack served with sambal which is a spicy alternative to peanut sauce, but it should be cooked over charcoal.

Should you order nasi campur in a range of venues, you should get a different dish each time. This is a staple of the dish itself as it involves whatever is at hand with a base of boiled long-grain rice and then pinches of various side dishes. They could be mixed-boiled vegetables, a bit of meat or shrimp, beansprouts, or string beans. Whatever is added, the rice is typically fried with shredded carrots, Chinese cabbage, sweet soy sauce, shrimp paste, garlic, chili, and shallots then topped with a fried egg.

Most of us have likely tried fried rice if we have ever ordered Asian takeout yet nasi goreng is an intense dish. It is also one of Bali’s most renowned dishes which is created by stir-frying cooked rice with a range of diced meats and chopped vegetables. That means you can add whatever meat you like including shrimp, chicken strips, diced beef, crab, lamb, and anchovies. The vegetables typically include green peas, shallots, and onions with a couple of eggs to scramble in too, blended with hot chili sauce and sweet soy sauce then topped with mixed pickles or fried shallots.

A bumbo base gives a portion of lawar a range of fresh flavors. Expect to find ground or shredded meat including pork, duck, chicken, or beef along with some sliced greens like snake beans or bean sprouts, on top of all that is some grated young coconut to add even more freshness to the dish. Look out for red lawar which is umami-savory and is colored red thanks to pig’s blood while the white version is blood-free and should substitute the meat content for jackfruit. 

Indonesian food does provide options for vegetarians and one of those is a salad known as gado gado. While a lot of dishes do have a vegetarian alternative, this is one that the entire table should love. It’s another smorgasbord of ingredients from kidney beans to cucumbers, tofu, and tempeh while eggs can feature too. This is all topped with a dressing which is an intense peanut sauce to give it a spicy kick but also a rounded sweet and salty taste too.

Summary

Eating out in Bali, even when you are trying to work, should mean trying new dishes. While you may have tried fried rice at home, nasi goreng should be a taste sensation. Then there are dishes that you can only find in Indonesia including gado gado, lawar, and baby guling. There are even some dishes that you can create yourself with your own twist, including the range of ingredients involved in nasi campur and the several variations of lilet sate to include if you would rather stray from chicken.