Bali’s Culinary Heritage: Base Genep

In the world of cuisine, the word “mother sauce” is used when referring to basic sauces that will be a starting point for making various secondary sauces. In French cuisine, most cooks will know the 5 mother sauces that branch out to hundreds of derivatives. 

  • Béchamel: Basic white sauce made of equal parts of flour and butter, a mixture called “roux”, whisk in warm milk
  • Tomato sauce: Basic tomato sauce
  • Espagnol: Basic brown stock, made from roasted beef bones thicken with roux
  • Velouté: A lightly cooked roux whisk in chicken stock, fish stock or any clear stock
  • Hollandaise: An emulsion of clarified butter, a type of vinegar and egg yolk


These five sauces are the pillars of French cuisine.

Across the globe, in Bali, the principle of cooking is also based on basic sauces and herbs. The differences of climate, culture and the type of herbs and spices available obviously shape different types of basic sauces. The Balinese do not shy away from using good amounts of garlic, shallot, ginger, galangal and chilies that not only brings fragrance and flavors but also health benefits.

There is one main formula of herbs and spices that is the basic of Balinese cooking. Base Genep, loosely translated as “complete spice”. Looking at the list of ingredients below, it becomes clear why it is called the complete spice. Different households will have different measurements of each ingredient sometimes only eye balling them and not using the exact measurements. The more often you make the Base Genep the more familiar you are with the taste and how to balance the herbs and spices.

BASE GENEP 

Ingredients:
  • 250 Gr Shallots
  • 125 Gr Garlic
  • 45 Gr Galangal
  • 65 Gr Ginger
  • 40 Gr Turmeric
  • 20 Gr Lesser Galangal 
  • 125 Gr Fresh cayenne chilly
  • 50 Gr Bird’s eye chilly
  • 40 Gr Candlenut
  • 50 Gr Shrimp paste
  • 3 Gr Coriander seeds
  • 15 Gr White pepper
  • 100 Ml Cooking oil
  • 200 Ml Water
  • 4 Pcs Bay leaf
  • 3 Pcs Lime leaf
  • 2 Pcs Lemongrass


Method:
  1. Clean and peel all fresh herbs, cut ginger and turmeric into manageable sizes. 
  2. Traditionally, all ingredients, setting aside the water, oil, lime leaves and bay leaves, are finely chopped on a thick wooden cutting board or pounded in a mortar and pestle. A food processor or blender can be used to do the task and save yourself a messy kitchen. When using a food processor or blender, add half the oil and water for easier blending.
  3. After all herbs and spices are blended, heat up the oil on a thick bottomed pan and cook the spice mixture. Add lime leaves, bay leaves and the rest of the water to the pan. 
  4. Keep stirring the pan to prevent anything sticking to the bottom getting burnt.
  5. Base Genep is done when all the liquid is evaporated and the natural oil from the spice mixture starts to come out.
  6. Once finished, set aside and let cool. When kept in freezer, it can last up to 1.5 weeks.


Base Genep is perfect as a base for soups, curry, marinade for chicken, fish, pork and beef. Mix the Base Genep with finely chopped raw tuna fish to make Balinese Satay Lilit. It can also be added to shredded coconut and cooked bean sprout to make Urap, a coconut base vegetable side dish. 

You can go in different kinds of directions with Base Genep, use your imagination and create various kinds of dishes with the delicious base sauce.



To enjoy traditional Indonesian cooking visit Warung Damar, opens daily from 11.00 to 23.00.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Grilled Corn: Mexico Vs Bali

Image
Grilled corn or Jagung Bakar is one of Bali’s most common street foods that can be seen in almost every traditional market and beach side. It is a tasty treat, can be messy but that is just part of the charm. In Bali, the flavor tends to be on the spicy side, lathered in sweet spicy sambal and charred to perfection on a charcoal grill. On the other side of the world, Mexico has a similar street food called Elote. Flavor wise, Elote tends to be on the savory less spicy side of things.  These are simple recipes for both versions, you can decide which one is the winner. Jagung Bakar 4 Corn on the Cob 150 gr Melted Butter 3 Tbsp. of Bottled Chili Sauce or Traditional Sambal 1 Tbsp. of Tomato Ketchup 1 Tbsp. Honey Method: Mix 100 gr butter and condiments in a bowl, use the rest of butter to baste during grilling Grill corn on charcoal grill for best taste and char. Baste with butter. Baste generously with the spicy sauce, continue grilling until the sauce is carame...
Read more

Quick and Easy Potato Recipes

Image
Potato is one of the most versatile plants that can be cooked in so many ways. High in Vitamin B and a good source of carbohydrate, potato is beneficial when cooked properly.  Here are three simple recipes that can be used to replace the deep fried version of potato dishes. Hash Brown 500 gr Potato 0.5 tbsp. salt 1 tbsp. Smoked Paprika Powder 1 tbsp. Parsley chopped 2 tbsp. Clarified Butter Method: 1. Grate potato and soak in cold water.  2. Drain water, add seasoning and chopped parsley 3. Shaped into flat rounds with 1.5 cm thickness 4. In non-stick pan, add clarified butter. Cook hash brown until each side is golden brown Hand Cut Fries 500 gr Potato 2 tbsp. Olive oil 1 tbsp. Chopped Rosemary 3 cloves of Garlic Salt to taste Method: 1. Cut potatoes length wise into 6 to 8 sticks depending on size 2. Rinse and soak in cold water 3. Drain water, pat dry and toss in olive oil, salt and rosemary 4. Preheat oven to 180o C 5. Bake po...
Read more

Croissants: Pastry Goodness

Image
Croissants are one of the great French pastry creations known to mankind. The flaky and buttery goodness is perfect eaten by it’s self or to be used as a delicate vessel for slices of ham and cheese. Simplicity can be the way to go with croissants, but there are so many ways to be creative and add layers of flavors to the already delicious treat. Croissant French Toast 1 pc Croissant, sliced length wise, day old croissant preferably 1 egg 100 ml Heavy Cream 50 ml Fresh Milk 2 tsp. Cinnamon Powder 1 tsp. Nutmeg, grated 2 tbsp. Maple Syrup or Honey 1 tbsp. Butter Garnish: 1 tbsp. Powder Sugar 200 gr Fresh Mango, diced, optional Method: 1.        Whisk egg, milk and cream, add spices and sweetener. 2.        Dip and briefly soak croissant in egg mixture. 3.        Preheat a nonstick pan, add butter. 4.        Place soaked ...
Read more