From dusk & dawn - sunsets and sunrises in Asia

Love sunrises and sunsets! The sunrise:sunset ratio discloses that I am not a morning person though...

RUSSIA

Sunset over Lake Baikal - Siberia, Russia



Sunrise over Lake Baikal - Siberia, Russia



MONGOLIA

Sunrise in Ulan Bataar, Mongolia (as seen from the Trans Mongolian Express)



CHINA

Sunset in Gobi desert, China (as seen from the Trans Mongolian Express)



TIBET

Sunset at Lake Namtso, Tibet



Sunset at Everest Basecamp (5200m)



INDIA

Sunrise In Varanasi, India







Sunset in Udaipur, India



Sunset in Mujim - Goa, India



INDONESIA

Sunset in Lembongan - Bali, Indonesia (as seen from the ferry)



Sunset in Lovina - Bal, Indonesia






Sunrise in Lovina - Bali, Indonesia



Sunrise in Sanur, Bali - Indonesia










Sunset in Sanur - Bali, Indonesia






Sunset at Ulu Watu - Bali, Indonesia






Sunset on Gili Trawagan - Lombok, Indonesia








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Location:Russia, Mongolia, China, Tibet, India, Indonesia

Ancestors, Offerings, Demons and Gods

The Balinese are deeply spiritual (and superstitious). Unlike most of Muslim-majority Indonesia, about 93% of Bali's population adheres to Balinese Hinduism (a combination of existing local beliefs and Hindu influences from mainland Southeast Asia and South Asia). Gods and demigods are worshipped together with Buddhist heroes, the spirits of ancestors, indigenous agricultural deities and sacred places.




The Balinese are extremely devout and no day goes by without making (multiple) offerings. The offerings (which consume around 60% of a family's annual income!) are made of flowers, fruit, cigarettes, cookies, eggs, rice and sometimes money and are given to the good spirits in hopes of continued prosperity as well as to the evil spirits as an appeasement. Festivals, celebrations and parades happen frequently and may not be skipped!




Gods and ancestors are believed to live on the mountain whereas demons live in the sea. Buildings such as temples and residential homes are oriented by having the most sacred spaces, such as the family temple, closest to the highest mountain on Bali, Mt Agung, and the unclean places nearest to the sea. You must sleep with your head towards the mountain or death and destruction may come to you or your family...






The friendly Balinese always ask you where you are from as a person is identified by his or her village. That is where the family compound (where the entire family lives) and the family temple (where the souls of the ancestors live) are located. It is where you are born and where you will die...

Location:Bali, Indonesia

Balinese cuisine IV - Bregedel Jagung (corn fritters)

Ready to experiment with Indonesian food yet? These yummie golden patties can also be made of meat, fish, seafood or whatever you feel like. Serve them as snack during "borrel" or as part of "rijsttafel". Rijsttafel, a Dutch word (that literally translates to "rice table"), is an elaborate meal adapted by the Dutch from the Indonesian feast called nasi padang. It consists of many (forty is not an unusual number) side dishes served in small portions, accompanied by rice prepared in several different ways. In Bali it is known under its Dutch name. Despite that the dishes are Indonesian, the rijsttafel’s origins were colonial. During their occupation of Indonesia, the Dutch introduced the rice table not only so they could enjoy a wide array of dishes at a single setting but also to impress visitors with the exotic abundance of their colony.

Ingredients (for approximately 12)




420g corn (preferably fresh), strained
5 shallots
2-3 cloves of garlic
1-2 small chillies
1 tsp. of turmeric
Salt and pepper to taste (if available, use Balinese sea salt (garam) which is slightly milder tham regular salt)
2 cups of vegetable oil
3 tbsp. flour
1 tbsp. fried shallots (very easy to make yourself by frying bawang merah, red shallot)
1/2 tsp. kencur (aromatic ginger), grated*
1 1/2 tsp. galangal (mild ginger)*
1/2 large chilli
1/2 tsp. coriander seeds
1/4 tsp. shrimp paste
2 eggs
1/2 tbsp. rice flour (optional)
3 lime leaves, shredded

* as an alternative to kencur and galangal, try adding nutmeg and ginger.

Make a fine paste of the shallots, garlic, ginger, galangal, kencur and large red chilli.



Add the corn and make sure not to overblend it. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and fold in the eggs, the flour(s) and the fried shallots.




Check seasonings. Heat the oil over a medium flame. Pour in a dessert spoon of the mixture at a time. After a minute or 2 flip the patty over and fry the other side until golden brown. Repeat with the remaining mixture.



Serve with sambal goreng! (see Balinese cuisine II)

You master the dishes so far and feel like trying a "rijsttafel" at home? Check in later for the recipes of nasi kuning (fragrant yellow rice) and sate lembat ayam (Balinese chicken satay with grated coconut)




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Location:Ubud, Bali - Indonesia

Who let the dolphins out?!

Finally!! Saw dolphins in the wild, and I mean dolphins!



After failed attempts in South America (usually just saw a tail or two), Mozambique (despite the 99% chance of seeing them, did not see any), Namibia (only saw two getting aroused when hugging the engines of the boat) and a measure of last resort in Tulum, Mexico (used a voucher from Hertz to swim with dolphins for
free...in a pool), THE CURSE IS BROKEN! *

*many thanks to a Dutch couple who (after my warning about the curse), stayed in the boat and may even be responsible for breaking it).






Just off the coast of Lovina in North Bali, schools and schools of dolphins were playing around. Wish I had had a few extra pairs of eyes! Especially cause the smart creatures tried to trick you by jumping up on one side of the boat to reappear - just when you got your camera ready - on the other side a few minutes later. One of the dolphins made up for it by doing a few Ocean-World-proof tricks just before we headed back to the coast. Awesome!




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Location:Lovina - Bali, Indonesia

Balinese cuisine III - Buncis Pelencing (beans in coconut milk)

Traditional Balinese food is an important aspect of the Balinese culture. There is everyday food and there is ceremonial or festival food. The staple of daily food is rice, accompanied by vegetables, a small amount of fish or meat, and a range of condiments, usually cooked in the early morning, and consumed throughout the day. If there is a festival or ceremony however, food is prepared in an elaborate and decorative manner. You will not be surprised to learn that most of the Indonesian dishes we enjoy in our countries are ceremonial food.

One of my favourite dishes is buncis pelencing. The preparation is not that difficult, but involves some magic with spices and is slightly more challenging than satay sauce or sambal. Good luck!

BUNCIS PELENCING (beans in coconutmilk)

Ingredients (serves 6-8)


500g snake beans
3 tbsp fried shallots (very easy to make yourself by frying bawang merah, red shallot)
2 lime leaves (shredded)
Salt to taste (if available, use Balinese sea salt (garam) which is slightly milder tham regular salt)

Suna-cekoh - garlic-ginger paste:
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 3 tbsp aromatic ginger
- 3 tbsp oil for frying
- 2 candlenuts (can be substituted with almonds or macadamias)
- 2 tbsp of turmeric

Kuah - coconutmilk sauce:
- sunah cekoh
- 1/2 stick of lemongrass (knotted)
- 2-4 lime leaves
- 2 salam leaves (if you cannot get it leave it out)
- 1/2 tablespoon white pepper
- 2 cups of coconut milk
- 2 tbsp fried shallot
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil

To prepare the Kuah, grind the Suna-cekoh ingredients: garlic, kencur, candlenuts, white pepper and turmeric with mortal and pestle until fine (or blend in food processor, but you will give up some flavour).




In a wok, gently saute the suna-cekoh mixture in vegetable oil, over a medium flame, with the lemon grass, lime leaves and salam leaves for a minute. Add coconut milk and fried shallots. Stir constantly over low heat, so the mixture does not separate, until it has thickened.



Trim the beans, steam or boil, and either chop finely or tear them in half. Mix the lime leaves, fried shallots and kuah thoroughly. Add the cooked, chopped beans. Add salt, extra fried onion and lime leaves if necessary.




Add sambal goreng (check out Balinese cuisine II for the recipe) for an extra kick!

SELAMAT MAKAN!

Check in later for: Bregedel Jagung (sweet corn fritters)




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Location:Ubud, Bali - Indonesia

Balinese cusine II - Sambal Goreng for an extra kick!

Sambal is an essential part of every Balinese meal - it serves the same purpose as salt in a Western meal. Be careful when trying at home...it is spicy!

SAMBAL GORENG

Ingredients



10 shallots, finely sliced
8 garlic cloves, finely sliced
8-10 small chillies finely sliced
1/4 cup of oil (every oil will do, except olive oil)
1 tspn shrimp paste
3 red large chillies
1 teaspoon of sea salt

Mix the shrimp paste with the sea salt for easier cooking. Heat the oil slowly in a wok over a medium flame. Add the shallots and garlic. Fry, moving the ingredients back and forth continually until pale golden brown in color (about a minute). Add the chilli and shrimp pastemixed with salt. Fry about 20 seconds or until the chilli is cooked and seems bright and glossy. Strain. Transfer to a small boil and reserve the oil for further use (e.g. in a dressing, to fry shrimp, on a pizza etc.)




Try this recipe and kick it!

SELAMAT MAKAN

Check in later for: Buncis Pelecing (beans in coconut milk)




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Location:Ubud, Bali - Indonesia

Balinese cuisine I - Bumbu Pecel, the real satay sauce!

The Indonesian cuisine is one of my favourites. Satay with peanut sauce, gado-gado, sambal, beans in coconut milk, nasi kuning, goreng or kampur - love it all. Had no clue how to turn everyday spices into the magical flavors of Indonesia though...until today.

One of the main characteristics of Indonesian cuisine is the wide application of bumbu pecel (peanut or satay sauce) in many signature dishes such as satay, gado-gado, karedok, ketoprak and pecel. It is added to main ingredients (meat or vegetable) to add taste or used as dipping sauce. Indonesian peanut sauce is very sophisticated - a balance of sweet, spicy and sour that is much different from the "warm peanut butter" that you will be served in many countries. Lesson 1: never use peanut butter for your sauce ever again!!




BUMBU PECEL (Balinese satay sauce)

Ingredients:

150g raw, unsalted peanuts
6 cloves of garlic (chopped)
2 small chillies (chopped)
2 tsp. of kencur (= aromatic ginger. If not available, substitute with galangal, mild ginger)
2 lime leaves (shredded)
1 tbsp. palm sugar
1 large red chilli (seeds removed)
2 tsp. lime juice (optional)
1 tbsp of kecap manis
1/2 tbsp of roasted shrimp paste
1/4 - 1/2 l of water
Salt to taste (if available, use Balinese sea salt (garam) which is slightly milder tham regular salt)
1-2 cups of oil for frying (basically every oil can be used except olive oil)
1/4 medium tomato
2-3 tbsp of fried shallots (very yummy to make yourself by frying bawang merah, red shallot)

Deep fry the peanuts in the oil in a wok over medium heat, a handful at a time until just golden brown. Remember: they keep cooking after they have been taken from the wok! Remove the peanuts with a slotted spoon.



Grind until fine or blend the peanuts in a blender with water. Obviously, the latter is faster, but you will lose flavour.



Grind the garlic, large red chilli, small chilli, kencur, shrimp paste and palm sugar, adding the tomato last (or alternatively blend to a paste in a food processor). Mix in the ground peanuts and add the kecap manis, lime fruit, lime leaves and fried shallots.



Taste and check the seasonings. Garnish with fried shallots. It is sooooo good!

Peanut sauce goes well with basically everything. Try it with satay, vegetables or in gado-gado (a salad of steamed or boiled vegetables such as cabbage, carrot, cucumber and/or cauliflower, hardboiled egg, fried tempe or tofu and krupuk). Can't wait to prepare this at home.

SELAMAT MAKAN!

Check in later for: Sambal Goreng



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Location:Ubud, Bali - Indonesia