Bali: Warung Mira (Khas Buleleng)

Bali: Warung Mira (Khas Buleleng)

Warung Mira
(Khas Buleleng)

Warungs SERIES | BALI

Serving Singaraja-style food, this is one of my favourite warungs in Denpasar. An ice-cold es daluman as soon I sit down at Warung Mira hits the spot. The wobbly forest-green drink is a refreshing mash up of daluman leaf jelly (the leaves are soaked in water and then squeezed, the liquid setting overnight from the natural gelatin) and palm sugar with coconut milk.

  A ‘greatest hits’ of some of Bali’s best regional dishes

A belly filler to soak up the chill that’s to come is a good idea, so the tipat cantok is first up. A Balinese take on gado-gado, the green beans, mung bean sprouts, freshly made tofu, crispy fried garlic and ketupat (soft rice cakes cooked in banana leaf parcels to shape them) are all gently mixed with light peanut sauce. It’s a little sweet, spicy and sour all at once. Just like it should be.

Other accompaniments include a super fresh urap with cassava leaf, green beans and fresh grated coconut, and two types of sates , one being soft, unctuous pork belly, the other being babi lilit, with minced pork. The crispy crackling here is generous and just as crunchy as it should be.

OPEN 8.00AM-6.00PM
Jl. Katrangan No.23, Sumerta, Kec. Denpasar Tim., Kota Denpasar, Bali 80239
+62361251040

Jukut undis (black bean soup) is simple and earthy, the broth having a depth and flavour that is usually saved up for its culinary cousin and Indonesia’s soup star, rawon. Scooping the small red-hued beans from the bottle of the bowl and savouring the grittiness of fresh grated coconut in my mouth, it doesn’t take long to disappear.

The rujak is also a winner. Like a savoury and super spicy fruit salad, rough-cut slices of raw green mango, pineapple, cassava, cucumber and sweet potato are all tossed together in a light dressing of shrimp paste, palm sugar, tamarind and chilli. Bali’s much more rustic take on its more famous and only distantly related Thai cousin, som tum.

Other dishes you should definitely try include the serapah babi of pork belly, served with crunchy crackers, and the perfectly executed soto ayam (chicken soup).

The menu is a veritable ‘greatest hits’ of some of Bali’s best regional dishes, so you can’t really go wrong. Try whatever sounds good and see what your favourites are!

Bali: Babi Guling Grenceng (Bali Tulen)

Bali: Babi Guling Grenceng (Bali Tulen)

Babi Guling Grenceng
(Bali Tulen)

Warungs SERIES | BALI

Another great option for lunch is Babi Guling Gerenceng (just a few metres up the road from Tahu Tipat Gerenceng).

  ‘Lesehan’ style seating on rattan floor mats.

The babi guling is good and offers quite a variety of accompaniments to the traditional slow-roasted pork. The paper-lined basket offers up lots of flavours, with young coconut braised in bumbu gede sitting alongside sausage and fried curly intestines (which I quietly pass on).

Other accompaniments include a super fresh urap with cassava leaf, green beans and fresh grated coconut, and two types of sates , one being soft, unctuous pork belly, the other being babi lilit, with minced pork. The crispy crackling here is generous and just as crunchy as it should be.

OPEN 8.00AM-6.00PM
Jl. Sutomo, Pemecutan Kaja, Kec. Denpasar Utara, Kota Denpasar, Bali 80231

The lawar is served two ways: one with fresh pig’s blood to stain it that tell-tale hue of pink, one without (for hygiene reasons). A little too carnivorous for me, I always get it without, and luckily it’s just as delicious that way.

The peak hours are 11:00am-1:00pm when the lunch rush is on, so come early to avoid disappointment. It’s not the same without that crackling!

Pork Satay Balinese Style

Pork Satay Balinese Style

Pork Satay Balinese Style

Sate babi bumbu merah

An unmissable culinary specialty from Bali to try at home

Marinated meat threaded onto bamboo skewers and grilled over hot coals, with a sumptuous caramelized appearance; is definitely a perfect description of Sate Babi /pork satay in Bali.

Today I try to recreate this famous Balinese dish after tasting one of the best pork satay in Warung Putri.

Tip: if you want to get a lot of fat, use the neck or belly parts as it has a lot of fat content. Pour a little bit of oil on the skewers, mix it all around, and cook it slowly on the grill. After all sets, serve it with some sliced shallots, chilli, and a squeeze of kaffir lime.

Will Meyrick

portions

minutes

Summary

Main Ingredients
  • 1 cup pork neck, pork belly and pork belly fat, cubed
  • 3 tablespoons palm sugar, grated
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3 tablespoons bumbu merah (see sub recipe)
  • ½ cup oil
  • Bamboo skewers
  • 1 tablespoon shallot, sliced (as desired)
  • 1piece small red chilli, sliced (as desired)
  • 1 piece kaffir lime, halved

 

  • 3 pieces small red chilli
  • 7 pieces big red chilli
  • 2 bulbs garlic, peeled
  • 2 pieces shallot
  • 2 tablespoons coriander seeds
>>> Alternate recipe

Garnish

shallot slices
red bird eye chilli slices
kaffir lime halved

Step by Step Instructions

step 1 : bumbu merah

For the Bumbu Merah ingredients, pound or blend until almost fine.

step 2 : marinade

Grate the palm sugar, salt, bumbu merah and add in cubed pork meat and pork fat on a plate and mix all together. Marinate for 5 hours in the fridge.

step 3 : skewing

After that, take out the marinated pork from the fridge, drizzle with some oil and mix well. Take one piece of pork and another piece of fat and skew onto the bamboo skewer. * Repeat the process 4 (four) times per skewer until all marinated pork finish.

step 4 : grilling

Get your barbeque/charcoal grill hot, then place the pork satay neatly on top of the hot embers, turn it frequently until the satay is cooked and slightly charred on the edge.

step 5 : serving

Take off the heat. Serve with shallot slices, red bird eye chilli slices and kaffir lime on the side.

Selamat Makan

Bon appetit!