We have a few books on Indonesian food on our shelves, but this is the first title devoted strictly to Balinese cuisine. And there is a lot to explore! And what is important, it was written by people raised and living in Bali – chef I Wayan Kresna Yasa and culinary journalist Tjok Maya Kerthyasa.
In Paon, in addition to beautiful photos and great recipes, you will also find short essays about Bali itself (not only its culinary aspects.) It is important because it allows you to get to know Bali devoid of all the tourist stuff. And that’s how the Balinese eat their meals on a daily basis – usually alone and in silence.
At the very beginning of the book, you get to know the basic pastes that are used to season food, then move on to broths and sambal (they can be loosely compared to salsa), then rice (which is the basis of most meals), coconut, through salads and vegetable dishes, to the main dishes (mainly meat, although there are also some vegetarian dishes, for example with tempeh). My heart was stolen by urab gedang, a young papaya salad with lots of coconut and tipat cantok, similar to Javanese gado-gado. And, of course, desserts, like bubur injin, a dessert made of rice, coconut milk and jackfruit.
