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Melinjo
Cracker
 A
little bitter but delicious. That’s
a quick impression of melinjo. This kind
of fruit is widely known as the ingredient
of emping or melinjo crackers. Its bean
resembles coffee but is slightly more oval.
Melinjo (Gnetum gnemon) is now grown easily
everywhere, as its hybrid is widely available
in the plant market. People may plant it
in the backyard and have it readily on hand.
In ceremonial events in Bali, melinjo crackers
are commonly provided to the invited guests
as welcome snacks along with kacang kapri
(crispy peanuts) and a soft drink or bottled
tea. To prepare the cracker, peel off the
outer shell of the bean. Afterwards the
bean should be boiled or fried without oil.
Then peel off the hard shell and press to
thin slices on a chopping board or other
hard pad. One bean will produce one small
cracker. To make larger crackers, use more
beans. Dry well in the sunlight. Finally,
fry the crackers. To taste the original
beans, take the boiled ones and crack off
the hard shell with your teeth. Its young
leaves can also be used in the recipe called
sayur asem. (Punia)
Tasting Red ‘’Buni’’
 Buni
is a kind of bead-like fruit that usually
grows wild in the backyard or on the estate.
It is a seasonal fruit in Bali and is usually
available around April. When young it is
greenish white and tastes very sour but
becomes sweet when it ripens. The color
will turn to red when it is half-ripe and
black when completely ripe. To make rujak
(fruit salad with pungent dressing), use
the red or black fruit.
Just with some simple ingredients like 5
bunches of buni fruit, palm sugar, salt
and chili, rujak buni can be prepared. It
can be half-chopped with a stone mortar
and pestle or ground in a bamboo log. The
latter will look more classical. Do not
let the seeds break. A mixture of chopped
buni and spices produces a sour and sweet
sauce. (Punia)
Special
Drinks from La Lucciola Restaurant
Amandari’s Homemade Ginger Beer
 Ingredients:
Fresh
grated ginger – 8 dinner spoons (for
first step)
Fresh grated ginger – 4 dinner spoons
(for second step)
White sugar – 120 gram
Whole limes – 8 (for first step)
Whole limes – 4 (for second step)
Yeast – 0.15 gram (use demitasse spoon
to measure)
Hot water – 4 liters
Still water – 2 liters
Method:
-
Squeeze the limes and pour the juice into
a large stainless steel bowl. Add the
fresh grated ginger, white sugar and yeast
to aid fermentation. Pour in 4 liters
of hot water and stir well. Add the still
water and stir again. Cover the bowl tightly
using aluminum foil. Do not let air get
into the bowl. Leave covered for two days
-
After two days, remove the cover and add
4 dinner spoons of fresh grated ginger
and the juice of four limes. Stir well
and strain.
Put the ginger beer into a bottle (a clip-top
bottle is recommended for better fermentation).
Wrap the top of the bottle with foil.
Keep outside at room temperature for a
week.
After a week, put the ginger beer in the
refrigerator to chill for one day. The
following day the homemade ginger beer
is ready to serve.
Enjoy
your ginger beer! (budarsana)
Note
: Lemongrass can be used in the same way
as ginger.
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