We started early Tuesday morning with all the girls booked into the Casa Luna morning market tour and cooking school.
The traditional Ubud early morning food market is not for the faint hearted, but for those of us who'd experienced markets in India last year it all seemed pretty quiet and spick and span. We took the opportunity to pick up some beautiful quality vanilla pods (so cheap compared to home) and some spices under the careful watch of our market tour guide.
We learnt a bit about mangosteens - how to tell when they're ripe and how that lovely daisy shape on its base represents how many segments will be in the fruit. We also learnt I paid an inflated tourist price for the lot I purchased on my first day in Ubud this week.
Tourists are never allowed to work too hard in Ubud so we were provided with cooling hibiscus tea, some snacks and a chance to relax back at the gorgeous Honeymoon Guesthouse before our class got underway.
Mie goreng, tempe curry, fish curry, roasted white eggplant, fern coconut salad and pandan coconut crepes were on the menu today - all involving a lot of CHOPPING!
There were fifteen people in our group - from all over the world: Switzerland, America, Macau and even a few from Canberra, Australia. It was all part of the fun to get to talk to and eat with an interesting new bunch of people.
No wonder Balinese food tastes so good when there is all this fresh flavoursome goodness going into it - a balance of salty, sweet, sour and spicy as we were constantly reminded.
And all the while this old school rice steamer was bubbling away......
We got to make an old favourite of mine: Urab Pakis (fern coconut salad)...you don't even have to use "fern" - any delicate greenery will do. Must make it soon by myself before I forget the little details - although preparing the coconut will be a bit of a challenge at home!
And the cooking feast is completed!
Everything tasted delicious but a surprise favourite of mine today was the tempe curry. Our class lasted over five hours (hard work with a lot of standing!). The menfolk managed to spend a quiet morning in Ubud very happily and were very pleased to find themselves an excellent wood fired pizza place quite close to the Honeymoon Guesthouse so they could enjoy their own feast while we were enjoying ours.
It was our turn to host G & Ts on the terrace on Tuesday night - another beautiful evening in great company, with a light meal at Tutmak's afterwards. It's great fun wandering the relatively quiet streets of Ubud in the evening as so many of the cafes have live bands playing - doing covers of all the great songs from the 60s - 80s; love Ubud.
The traditional Ubud early morning food market is not for the faint hearted, but for those of us who'd experienced markets in India last year it all seemed pretty quiet and spick and span. We took the opportunity to pick up some beautiful quality vanilla pods (so cheap compared to home) and some spices under the careful watch of our market tour guide.
We learnt a bit about mangosteens - how to tell when they're ripe and how that lovely daisy shape on its base represents how many segments will be in the fruit. We also learnt I paid an inflated tourist price for the lot I purchased on my first day in Ubud this week.
Tourists are never allowed to work too hard in Ubud so we were provided with cooling hibiscus tea, some snacks and a chance to relax back at the gorgeous Honeymoon Guesthouse before our class got underway.
Mie goreng, tempe curry, fish curry, roasted white eggplant, fern coconut salad and pandan coconut crepes were on the menu today - all involving a lot of CHOPPING!
There were fifteen people in our group - from all over the world: Switzerland, America, Macau and even a few from Canberra, Australia. It was all part of the fun to get to talk to and eat with an interesting new bunch of people.
No wonder Balinese food tastes so good when there is all this fresh flavoursome goodness going into it - a balance of salty, sweet, sour and spicy as we were constantly reminded.
And all the while this old school rice steamer was bubbling away......
We got to make an old favourite of mine: Urab Pakis (fern coconut salad)...you don't even have to use "fern" - any delicate greenery will do. Must make it soon by myself before I forget the little details - although preparing the coconut will be a bit of a challenge at home!
And the cooking feast is completed!
Everything tasted delicious but a surprise favourite of mine today was the tempe curry. Our class lasted over five hours (hard work with a lot of standing!). The menfolk managed to spend a quiet morning in Ubud very happily and were very pleased to find themselves an excellent wood fired pizza place quite close to the Honeymoon Guesthouse so they could enjoy their own feast while we were enjoying ours.
It was our turn to host G & Ts on the terrace on Tuesday night - another beautiful evening in great company, with a light meal at Tutmak's afterwards. It's great fun wandering the relatively quiet streets of Ubud in the evening as so many of the cafes have live bands playing - doing covers of all the great songs from the 60s - 80s; love Ubud.
5 comments:
feeling a bit puckish now, having seen that.
Looks like you are having a great time. Hope Rob enjoyed his first swim and gets some more in.
Mal and Pat
Puckish???? meant Peckish..just my tryping
Ah Jude it was such a great day. Your photo's capture the experience perfectly. Can't wait to try it at home.
Enjoying your blogs Judy.
Keep up with the wonderful times, wonderful food and the G & T's.
love Maxine xx
I have to tell you I am loving the travel posts and the portrait of you on this post is the best photo I've seen of you on the blog. I'm always behind the lens too and sometimes it looks like I wasn't even there! The colour of the food and the markets is captured perfectly. One day I'll have to get to Ubud but after I finish writing that report :)
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