Tag Archive for: cuisine

THE MAJESTIC COCONUT TREES OF BALI

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The coconut trees of Dajuma tropical garden stand tall and elegant, their slender trunks swaying gently in the tropical breeze. These trees hold a special place in Bali, not only for their aesthetic value but also for their deep cultural significance. They play an essential role in Balinese cuisine, especially in dishes like “lawar klungah,” where freshly grated coconut is a key ingredient, adding a creamy texture and nutty flavor to the dish. Additionally, coconuts are essential to Balinese cleansing ceremonies known as “Melukat”. The holy water used in these ceremonies often comes from coconuts, symbolizing purity and sacredness.
Coconut trees also offer a wide range of practical uses in Bali. Their leaves are woven into intricate offerings during temple ceremonies, their wood is used in construction, and coir from coconut husks is an indispensable material for crafts and mattresses. Beyond their tangible uses, these trees constitute symbols of abundance and life in Balinese culture, forming an integral part of the island’s identity and daily life. On the picture, our waitress Padmi.

SO TASTY BALINESE CUISINE

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For good reason, Balinese cuisine is highly appreciated by connoisseurs for its freshness, its spices and its variety, influenced by the geography of the island and its history. This makes it a tasty culinary experience for tourists discovering it for the first time. But unlike the West with its star-studded restaurants, good Balinese cuisine is everywhere, from the unlikely market food stalls as seen in the photo to the humble warungs found along the roads. Apart from the classics like nasi/bakmi goreng, nasi campur, gado-gado, sate, lawar, etc. they all have a specialty like the famous babi guling (grilled pig), bebek betutu (herb stuffed duck). Our customers Anne and Jacob on the photo, stopped at the Negara market to taste the traditional chicken porridge which they loved! Selamat makan! (Enjoy your meal!)

COOKING CLASS IN DAJUMA

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Balinese cuisine is renowned among connoisseurs for its flavors and variety. We can only understand its richness by immersing ourselves in the history of the island which has known many influences in this area. This week, our Chef Dedi invited two of our guests Mrs Howland and Mrs Utech from Australia to discover the secret of the famous Balinese Tum. Depending on your taste you can accomodate it either with chicken or sea-food finely minced and then mix with local spices and herbs called bumbu genep. The spice mixture together with the chicken or seafood is then wrapped in banana leaves and steamed or grilled. Just try it next time you visit us. It is delicious!

NOSTALGIA FOR BALINESE CUISINE

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The reopening of the Bali airport to international flights approaching, we can not help but think of all that we will find in the pleasures of life in this island so aptly named the Island of the Gods: a prolific nature, exceptional human relations, breathtaking landscapes, constant serenity, and, icing on the cake (no pun intended!), an exceptional cuisine inherited from multiple local, European and Asian influences. A good example shown in the photo, is the tasty “rijsttafel” recently served in our Rama restaurant, a Dutch word that literally translates to “rice table”. It is an elaborate Indonesian meal adapted by the Dutch consisting of many side dishes (up to fourty sometimes), small portions served in banana leaves, accompanied by rice prepared in different ways. Popular side dishes include egg rolls, sambals, satay, fish, fruits, vegetables, pickles, and nuts. Let’s hope a return to normal as soon as possible!

NEW TEPPANYAKI SKILLS AT DAJUMA

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Facing the growing success of our Teppannyaki restaurant, our cook team composed of 8 cooks in total decided to expand this particular skill to 2 other colleagues. This is what happened yesterday when our Second Chef Rudi, specialist of Japanese teppanyaki cuisine, (red apron on the picture) transmitted his know-how to Dewi and our First Chef Dedi. Everything is now ready to welcome you anytime in the week in our Sinta lounge for a delicious dinner in the Japanese way!

EVENT OF THE WEEK IN PEKUTATAN: HINDU STUDENTS GATHERING

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The Jembrana Hindu Youth Communication Forum held an event entitled “Hindu Students Gathering”. All the Junior High Schools (public schools) in Jembrana delegated their students (male and female) to participate in this event. It took place at Satria Mandala Stadium in Pekutatan, 10 minutes from Dajuma, from November 7th to 10th, 2019 with the participation of 200 students. Each group built a beautiful and well decorated tent. This event had a lot of competitive activities such as traditional games, preparation of Hindu ceremonies, cooking traditional cuisine, Balinese decoration, Balinese story-telling, painting, writing Balinese letters in sanscrit, art performances, etc. In front of the tent of each group, they also prepared a small exhibition of local handicraft. This event aims at fostering the preservation of Balinese culture in all Hindu students, in particular two major features of hinduism which are love and responsibility. Using our free shuttle service, one of our guest, Birgit visited this event. She was happy to meet the students and discover their creativity and commitment to Hinduism. Well done guys!

DID YOU TRY OUR TEPPANYAKI?

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Since almost 10 years now, our guests can savour in our Sinta lounge, the delicious teppanyaki cuisine from Japan. The word teppanyaki is derived from teppan (鉄板), which is the metal plate on which it is cooked, and yaki (焼き), which means grilled, broiled, or pan-fried. Imagine up to 6 guests seating together in front of the chef, who cooks various dishes of meat, fish, or both, grilled with vegetables on a hot steel plate forming the center of the dining table. For westerners, this way of dining is unusual, not to say completely new. On the picture our Chef Rudi in action. Don’t forget to try it next time you decide to visit us, you will not be disappointed!

WHY IS BALINESE CUISINE EXQUISITE?

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Since a long time, Bali is famous for the quality of its cuisine. It is easy to check when you are visiting the island where beautifully decorated or more modest warungs (restaurants ) invite you to taste the delicious local specialties such as Babi Guling (Roasted pork), Bebek Betutu (Stuffed duck), Nasi Campur (Mixed fried rice) and the famous Rijsttafel (Combination of the most popular Balinese dishes). But it is also true in the daily life of Balinese families. On the picture, some kids of Dajuma staff are sharing a lunch composed of black beans soup, tumbali (meat cooked in banana leaf), rice crackers and tofu.
There are two main reasons why the Balinese cuisine is so well appreciated: Because of its location in the middle of the Indonesian archipelago, the island has been influenced through the centuries by many different cultures, each of them having brought its contribution to the cuisine. The second reason is definitively linked to the infinite variety of spices we can find in the island. Just a few of them are shown on the picture: torch ginger, star aniss, cardamon, white pepper, white ginger, cinamon, turmeric, nutmeg. Selamat makan! (Enjoy your meal!)

DAJUMA COOKING CLASS

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Due to the richness of its terroir and its history, Balinese cuisine is renowned for its extreme variety and tasty specialties.
In Dajuma our chefs are used to sharing their know-how… and their cooking secrets… with our customers. Just make an appointment, put on the apron and work with them for a while. You will learn how to make these flavorful sauces from the spices of the island and cook some of the local specialties that have made Bali’s culinary reputation. You will be really surprised by the inventiveness of this cuisine!

Dajuma Experience: Genuine Balinese Food

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One of our “Dajuma Experiences” particularly appreciated by our guests is a lunch in the pure Balinese tradition. We prepare this unique experience on the occasion of our farming and plantation tours. For the farming tour, the lunch takes place in the middle of the rice fields as shown on the picture, whereas, for the plantation one, the pique-nique is held in the mountain with a breathtaking view of the ocean. In both cases, the food is prepared and cooked by our local friends from the nearby villages. The various foods that are served are really like what the local people are serving at home for their family. In the rice farming tour the dishes are presented in the “Kubu” (small gazebo) and guest really enjoy a delicious lunch with beautiful scenery and fresh air of the rice terraces. When do you plan to come over?