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The taste of Bali

Bali, we all know, is an island in Indonesia, famous for its picturesque beauty, art and culture, which is by and large influenced by Hinduism. But there is another side to Bali that has not been explored so much and that is its food. So to cool off this hot, hot week, The Metropolitan hotel Nikko brings to Delhiites The Bali Food Festival at Patio, the hotel's 24-hour global cuisine restaurant.

The two chefs, A.A. Gede Pusakara and I Nyoman Subrata, have flown all the way from the Nikko Bali Resort and Spa at the island of Bali and have created a fine menu of authentic delicacies to satisfy the appetite of diners here.

The chefs say, "The Balinese cuisine is unique and different from what is offered in the other islands of Indonesia. Roots like Kinty (turmeric), Jae (ginger) and shoots like Sereh (lemon grass) are widely used in Balinese cooking." To the surprise of many, they add, "At Bali, we don't serve starters. We only have a main course of rice combined with vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes that are quite spicy. We have shaped up the appetisers exclusively for the Indian consumers."

Goreng variety

To begin with, one can try out the delectable lumpia ayam mebase kare that are spring rolls with minced chicken inside, and be siap pelalah, Balinese roasted chicken flipped in spiced chilli candlenut sauce.

In soups, one can have soto ayam, an aromatic clear chicken soup with noodles.

Moving on, the diners can have nasi goreng kampung, a well-known rice dish from Indonesia, and mie goreng kampong that is fried noodle cooked in traditional Balinese style. Out of the two, mie goreng kampong is a better shot and can be combined with Balinese roasted chicken, siap guling for further tingling of the taste buds. One can wash these down with beach cocktails or Balinese beer.To conclude the meal, the fruit salad dessert and black rice pudding are good options. The fruit salad is mouth-watering with a distinct flavour. To enhance the taste and beauty of the salad the chefs say, "We borrowed grenadine syrup from the bar. But back at home we use vanilla sticks which are grown in our gardens."

Well, enjoy the experience.

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