Bali Cooking Class
Paon cooking class in Ubud Bali
Paon means kitchen in Indonesian and Paon Bali Cooking Class is a cooking class housed in the private villa of Puspa and her husband Wayan in Ubud. The hosts are warm and have a great sense of humor. The atmosphere is extremely friendly and the meals are prepared in the beautiful outdoor garden kitchen.
Cooking classes in Bali have become very popular. Travelers get together to learn about, prepare, cook and enjoy Balinese cousine. Attending a cooking class in Bali will open a new world of local flavors to you and you will be able to take the techniques and recipes home with you as the best souvenir ever. For me the Paon Bali cooking class will be one of the lasting experiences from Bali and I felt that I was in the home of some very close friends.
We started the cooking class by going to the market in Ubud early morning. We did´t buy the ingredients there but got a better understanding for all the vegetables, herbs, spices and fruits that are used in traditional Balinese cooking. The temperature and humidity is high in Bali and the fresh lime juice we were greeted with upon arrival at Paon Bali tasted heavenly.
We were split up in groups to do preparation, chopping, slicing, dicing and blending. When it came to cooking we were paired and each of us took turns doing the cooking under close supervision of the instructors.
As a starter we made Kuah Wong, a delicious clear mushroom and vegetable soup.
Gede, the magical yellow sauce that goes into many Balinese traditional dishes is in the making.
The dishes on the beautiful plate below are Sate Siap ( minced chicken grilled on bamboo sticks), Kecang Me Santok ( vegetables in peanut sauce), Jukut Urab (coconut and snake bean salad) and Pepesan Be Pasih (steamed fish in banana leaves).
And for dessert Kolak Bui, boiled banana in palm sugar syrup. I am giving you this recipe but if any of you would like the recipes for the other dishes, please email me at merete@worldwithasuitcase.com and I will be so happy to send them to you as the whole meal was amazing and not difficult to make at all.
Kolak Bui, boiled banana in palm sugar syrup, serves 4-6:
Ingredients: 2 bananas, 2 tablespoons palm sugar, 2 tablespoons coconut cream, 5 pieces of jackfruit, 1 pandan leaf, 1 tablespoon corn flour (optional), 1 pinch of salt, 2 cups of water. For garnish: 1 tablespoon grated coconut and one tablespoon palm sugar.
Instructions: Slice the bananas, grate the palm sugar and cut the jackfruit into thin slices. Boil the water and add pandas leaf, banana slices, jackfruit, palm sugar and coconut cream. Add the corn flour to about 2 tablespoons of water in a separate cup and mix together. Let the banana mixture cook for about 2 minutes and add the corn flour liquid, stirring gently, to thicken it. Stirr for less than a minute an remove the pan from the heat. Serve on a dessert plate and enjoy!
The Paon Bali Cooking Class was a wonderful experience. Everything was brilliant from the market tour, the premises, the jungle view, the preparations, the cooking and the food.
The couple running the cooking class and the staff are so lovely and so welcoming. Puspa was our cooking teacher and she is so generous, friendly and authentic. She takes the time to explain everything in details and is so pleased to have you in her home. If you love good food you will enjoy this experience, make sure to come hungry!
