Bali is home to some of the most beautiful scenery on this planet. This Indonesian island is also home to some of the most delicious food we have enjoyed on this trip. Before our trip to Bali we had never experienced Balinese. After 2 weeks of eating our way around the island here are our top 10 dishes to try when in Bali:
Mie Goreng
A classic Indonesian staple consisting of stir fried noodles. This dish is often served with vegetables and the option of adding chicken, shrimp or pork. Sometimes Mie Goreng is served with an egg on top along with prawn crackers.
Nasi Goreng
A similar dish to Mie Goreng, only served with fried rice instead of noodles. This is another classic Indonesian dish.
Babi Guling
Probably Bali’s most iconic dish, babi guling (suckling pig) is a nose-to-tail delicacy that is a must try when in Bali. If you are ordering this dish make sure to note that as it is a nose to tail dish and you might receive an obscure piece of pork.
The pork is rubbed with turmeric and stuffed with a spice paste consisting of coriander seeds, lesser galangal and ginger. The pork is then roasted whole over a spit until tender. The meat is served on a bed of rice with vegetables, pork sausage and the crispy pork skin.
Bebek Betutu
Bebek betutu is a smoked duck dish. The duck is rubbed and stuffed with a mix of spices, wrapped in banana leaves and then smoked with the embers of rice husks.
Cooking this dish takes around 12 hours so if you plan on trying bebek betutu while in Bali you may have to call the restaurant in advance to order.
Nasi Campur
Nasi campur translates to “mixed rice” and consists of small portions of vegetables, fish, meat or tofu served around a mound of steamed rice.
The dish is basically an Indonesian antipasto plate. Each restaurant serves a different combination. This was one of our favourite dishes as it allowed us to try little bits of everything on the menu.
Mini Rijsttafel
Rijsttafal is a Dutch word that translates to “rice table”. Mini rijsttafal is a sharing meal that is made up of a selection of Balinese dishes such as a selection of meats, vegetables tempe, tofu and a rice cone in the middle.
Spring Rolls
A common dish found in most Asian countries. Filled with a vegetable mix or meat, spring rolls are always a simple and satisfying choice. In Bali they are usually serve with a peanut or sweet chilli sauce.
Gado-Gado
Translating directly to “mix-mix” this is a very popular salad in Bali. Gado-gado is a cold vegetable salad served with a classic peanut sauce. The vegetables are boiled or blanched and served with potato, boiled egg, tofu and tempe.
Sate
Sate (satay) is a stable dish in Indonesia of skewered and grilled meat served with a sauce. This is a popular street food and can be easily found around Bali. Chicken and pork are the most common sate dishes found in Bali.
Dadar Gulung
Dadar Gulung is a Balinese dessert, it is also known as an Indonesian coconut pancake. The dish consists of green crepes, colored using pandan leaves and then filled with fresh coconut and palm sugar.
To keep up to date with all the delicious foods we try on our travels follow our Instagram page.
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From a travel for food stand point Bali is looking very good
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It really is that good! 😊
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Getting hungry just reading this! Thanks for the great article!
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It all looks delicious. I once made Nasi Goreng at home. It was pretty good, as I recall. I really should dig up that recipe and make it again. Thanks for the reminder. Also, I had rijsttafel in Amsterdam, where it is apparently pretty popular (due to immigrant community, I think). SO MUCH FOOD, but it was so good!!! (It wasn’t the “mini” variety!)
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