Balinese Cooking Class

Balinese food is one of the great undiscovered cuisines of Asia, and a cooking class is the quickest way into it. It is quite different from the Indonesian dishes you will see on every menu, such as nasi goreng and mie goreng: the island's Hindu culture means pork and duck are prized, and the cooking revolves around elaborate spice pastes and dishes prepared for ceremonies. The foundation of nearly everything is base genep, the complete spice paste, pounded by hand on a stone mortar from shallots, garlic, chillies, galangal, turmeric, ginger, kencur, candlenut, shrimp paste, coriander seed and more, and a good class will have you grinding your own. From there, typical menus include sate lilit, minced fish or chicken mixed with coconut and spices and wrapped around lemongrass skewers before grilling; pepes, fish or tofu steamed or grilled in banana leaves; lawar, a festive mix of chopped vegetables, coconut and spices; a vegetable curry or a simple soup; and sambal matah, the fresh, raw relish of shallot, chilli, lemongrass and lime leaf that Balinese eat with everything. Desserts might be dadar gulung, green pandan pancakes rolled around palm-sugar coconut, or black rice pudding. The best classes begin early with a visit to a local market to see the produce, spices and the flowers and palm leaves sold for daily offerings, and many continue to a family compound or organic farm in the rice fields. Along the way you learn about the Balinese kitchen itself, the canang sari offerings placed each morning, and the role of food in temple ceremonies. Most classes are in or around Ubud, finish with a shared feast of everything you cooked, and send you home with recipes.

Which class: the Tiqets listings for Bali food experiences include a Balinese organic cooking class on a farm with a market visit in Ubud, and a hands-on night cooking experience that starts in the late afternoon with a guided farm tour, transport and a menu of several Balinese dishes and desserts cooked with local chefs, with free cancellation up to a few hours before. There is also a firefly-watching evening with a traditional dinner for something different. Morning classes with a market visit give you the fullest picture; evening classes suit travellers who spend the day sightseeing. Check whether hotel transfers within Ubud are included, and mention dietary needs when you book: vegetarian and vegan versions of most dishes are easy to arrange.

Tips: wear comfortable clothes you do not mind splashing with turmeric, which stains, and come hungry, as you eat everything you make. Markets are busiest and most interesting early. If you are staying in the south, there are classes in Seminyak and elsewhere, but the Ubud experience, with its rice-field setting, is the classic.

Beyond the class: to keep exploring, try babi guling, spit-roast suckling pig, at a local warung at lunchtime when it is freshest; bebek betutu, duck slow-cooked in spices and banana leaves, often ordered a day ahead; nasi campur, rice with a selection of small dishes; and sate at a night market. The food guide has more on where and how to eat across the island.