Pisang Rai

A nice cake made with banana and rice flour. In the past the cake was usually presented on the public mutual assistance (gotong royong) for private works, like in planting paddy seedlings, setting up tent for ritual ceremony et cetera. After working hard the members of the group will enjoy the rest while joking together. Right now this kind of cake is easy to find even though such activities tends to be decreasing. Even though you can still taste the cake and feel the togetherness the past.

Ingredients:
3 pcs banana raja;
200 g rice flour;
500 ml water;
100 g grated coconut;
50 g wheat flour;
salt (to taste).

Method:

1. Mix well the wheat and rice flour and add some water;
   
2. Boil 500 ml water;
   
3. Slice each banana into five pieces;
4. Put the sliced banana into the flour batter. Mix them until the batter covers them;
   
5. Put each slice into the boiling water. Take out when they are al ready floating;
   

Serve on a plate and sprinkle with grated coconut.(BTN/029)

Batun Salak Cake

Non-rice based cake has often become a topic of government’s campaign in promoting of food diversification. Here is one of cakes made of cassava. It resembles the seed of snake fruit that’s why Balinese called it jaja batun salak.

Ingredients:
300 g grated cassava;
150 g brown sugar;
100 g grated coconut;
salt, vanilla essence.

Method:

1. Form the batter of grated cassava to the same size as the seed of salak or snake fruit. Steam until well done;
   
2. Make sauce of brown sugar with the flavor of vanilla essence and pandan leaf in the boiling water;
   
3. Put the steamed cassava into the sugar sauce stir well;
   
4. Take out and serve on a plate with grated coconut. (BTN/Punia)
   

Klepon, Green “Bullet” with Sweet Sauce

This cake is easily found everywhere in traditional markets. Klepon is a green cake made of rice flour. The summit of the taste is when the sweet sauce ‘explodes’ in the mouth. If you happened to make a trip to Tanah Lot temple, you will see a familiar view of klepon vendors on the street. Some grandmas from nearby village sell it under small umbrellas. Their open ‘hour’ is from 08.00 – 20.00. Please note that such cakes use natural green suji leaves. Its leaf resembles the leaf of pandan.

Ingredients:
500 g sticky rice flour;
250 g slices brown sugar;
100 g grated coconut;
150 ml of suji leaves extract;
5 g vanilla;
1 tsp salt.

Method:

1. Stir well the flour with suji leaves extract. Afterwards add some salt and vanilla.
   
2. Take banana leaf and spread with coconut oil. Make small ball on the leaf surface and then insert some sliced sugar. Do not forget the sugar with flour batter.
   
3. Stream them until they are well done.
   
4. Lift out. Serve with grated coconut. (BTN/029)

Timus Cake for the Rice

When the rice in the field has turned yellow, it is time to harvest. Before harvesting the farmers will prepare an offering called byukukung, the last ritual on the rice field for the grain. One of the cakes that may be considered to be a compulsory one for this offering is timus.
The main ingredients of this cake are half-cooked rice flour and palm sugar. Simple method of making this cake is as follows. Make sugar sauce of palm sugar and rice flour. Pour boiling water onto the rice flour. Add sugar sauce to flour batter then wrap in banana leaf. Steam until well done and the cake will be brown and white. (BTN/029)

Glutinous Bantal

White sticky rice is a versatile ingredient. It can be used to make various Balinese cakes to fill in the offerings or to complete the fruit and cake arrangement. One of them is bantal. Such a cake is commonly presented upon the temple festival. Its form resembles a tapering pillow wrapped in palm leaf and stringed with palm fiber or other ropes.
It is made of half-cooked white sticky rice mixed with grated coconut, banana or red bean (for filler inside) and refined sugar. Having wrapped and stringed, boil until well done.
(BTN/Punia)