Spicing: An important Balinese tradition

Unlike in other cuisines where spicing can be something creative, in Bali spicing is still done strictly according to the methods of age-old traditions, and many Balinese still cook according to their own manners and tastes.

Gastronome and epicurean el supremo, Suryatini N. Ganie, explains further about the delights of Balinese cooking:

But this does not mean that Balinese cooks are not creative in the kitchen, because though they may still follow the rules, the open-minded and tolerant characteristics of most Balinese mean that they will not object if the distinct spicing is somewhat modified to cater to visitors. In addition, the highly artistic sense of the Balinese results in a very creative serving style.

In families where traditional Balinese daily cooking is observed, be it for a family meal or for an important religious event, six flavors called sad rasa is considered very important and forms a unity of flavors.

The six flavors are pakeh or salty, lalah or pungent (hot), masem (sour), manis (sweet), pahit (bitter) and sapek, considered an overall flavor felt through the other senses like smell, vision, touch and hearing.

Based on these six flavors, spicing in Bali is prepared according to certain basic ingredients. The finished spice is named basa in local culinary terms and follows the flavor group under which they fall.

For example, basa uyah lengis is a simple combination of salt and vegetable oil, and its dominant flavor is salty. This spice is given mostly in villages to toddlers and even babies and to nursing mothers.

Another kind of spice is basa embe, which combines three flavors: salty from salt, pungent from shallots and garlic, and sour from lime.

Basa lalah manis is an expanded mix of basa embe wherein brown sugar (gula jawa or gula bali) is added and the vegetable oil is replaced with fresh coconut. A dish with this spice will thus consist of four flavors: salty from salt, pungent from red chilies and shallots, sour from limes, and sweet from brown sugar.

The perfect flavor according to basa spicing is the basa genep. Genep means complete or perfect.

Basa genep is a combination of six flavors and is used in all cooking and the resulting dishes can be consumed from children to adults.

Salt, vegetable oil, shallots, garlic, red chilies, lesser galangal, palm sugar or brown sugar, turmeric, lemongrass, salam leaves, trassi (fermented shrimp or fish paste) and lime are common in basa genep spicing.

To obtain a more distinctive flavor, pepper and coriander are use to enhance the taste.

Going further into the knowledge of traditional Balinese spicing, there is — last but not least — basa gede, which contains a vast array of spices.

These include: salt, vegetable oil, shallots, garlic, chilies, kaempheria galangal, brown sugar, ginger, greater galangal, turmeric, candlenuts, lemongrass, salam leaves, trassi and lime, as well as black pepper, white pepper, coriander, cumin, cumin leaves, cloves, nutmegs and sesame seeds, and a root called lempuyang, purut lime leaves, cinnamon and a certain type of incense called menyan (LGI, I Gde Ardhika).

And just for your information: should you want to gain a deeper insight to Balinese traditional spicing, the sad rasa (six flavors) have different names in different regions in Bali.

In Gianyar it is kotu for pungent, amla for sour, madhura for sweet, lawana for salty, tikhta for bitter and kasaya for insipid or bland.

During the Karya Pemandesan, or the teeth filing ceremony, you must consume the six flavors, which are in the penambal or filling. (Anak Agung Isteri Muter, Royal Family of Gianyar).

Well, after taking a glance at traditional spicing in Bali, it is understandable that this method might not attract people who are unused to distinct spicing.

But I assure you, when you take a look at Bali’s enchanting cuisine, you will obviously notice that the Balinese take their cooking very seriously — but paired with a happy approach and attitude, as in their paintings and dances.

Suryatini N. Ganie