Sambal of Pangi

Have you ever heard about a sambal made from a fruit? In Bahasa Indonesia, it is called keluwak and pangi in Balinese. At a glance, the physical appearance of this fruit looks rather unique, as it is slightly oval. Pangi or Pangium edule, (other than normally used as filler of particular sacrificial offerings like uriaga in ngaben cremation ceremony), can also be made into a delicious sambal that probably can generate your appetite. This fruit is popular within this southeast region. In Bali, it is recorded that this delicious sambal or oriental cookery relish is made from vegetables or fruit and spices. Please be noted that it may not be available at many food stalls or your restaurant nearby. It is made from some condiments such as shallot, garlic and chili. To get a good Pangi, it can be checked by shaking the fruit. When the flesh can be heard moving inside, it means it is ripe and good for this sambal.
INGREDIENTS: 4 pcs pangi, 2 cloves garlic and 4 cloves shallot, salt (to taste), 2 tbsp cooking oil.
METHOD: (1) Open the shell of pangi to take its flesh & press it well. (2) Slice all spices thinly and then stir fry until smells fragrant. (3) Add the pangi into the stir-fried sauce and mix thoroughly. Wait for a while. Then, take out and ready to serve. (BTN/029)

Eggplant, Prawn and Pumpkin Curry

Our appetite can be generated in many ways. Amongst them, it can be tried by composing a creative recipe combining some usual ingredients; however, they perhaps never come together in one recipe. If you have savoured chicken curry, simply try another one. For instance, prawn curry that is fused with pumpkin and eggplant. Its taste will be slightly sweet and rich. Called rich because it delivers various flavours from the combination of meat (prawn), vegetable and fruit, which is usually only made into cakes.
Ingredients: 200g prawn, cleanse & peel out its head carapace; 1 baby eggplant, cleansed & sliced thinly and 200g pumpkin—cleansed & peeled, cut into squares.
Spices:
2 large chillies, 3 small chillies, 1 cm ginger, 1 cm turmeric, 1 cm greater galangal, 1 tbsp fried shallot, 200 ml coconut milk, ½ sachet instant curry spice, 50 ml water, 2 tbsp cooking oil, pepper powder and salt (to taste).
Method: (1) All spices are finely ground. (2) Stir-fry the spices until fragrant. Pour the ingredients like prawn, pumpkin and eggplant into the stir-fried spices on the pan and add some water and salt. Wait until boiling. (3) Add coconut milk and curry spice. Stir them finely for some five minutes. Take out and sprinkle with fried shallot. It’s now ready to serve. (BTN/029)

Balinese Food & Culture Festival

NUSA DUA - Meliá Bali Villas & Spa Resort organized a 3 days Balinese Food and Culture Festival which started on July 27 and ended on July 29 2006 at the pool side of Meliá Bali. The Balinese Food and Culture Festival dinner started at 20:00 PM with an opening performance of a welcoming Balinese dance, Sekar Jagad, and continued with 2 different dances. Before the opening, a parade was presented to create awareness for the guests. A line of 10 people with traditional Balinese music were parading around the hotel area. During the three days festival, a wide selection of Balinese food and dances were available to entertain the guests. The Meliá Bali kitchen team provided different kinds of Balinese food each night. The guests also had the opportunity to see the making process of crafting since Meliá Bali invited the vendors to join and show their creativity in front of the guests. The festival turned out to be very successful. Guests from around the globe were really enjoying the event. The guests admired the traditional Balinese food and culture exposure. (BTN/*)