Indonesia is a diverse country with so many different cultures, traditions, languages, and ethnicities that contributes to the diversity of its cuisine. Like their national motto “ Bhinneka Tunggal Ika” which can be translated as “ Unity in Diversity”, there’s always a cuisine that’s similar everywhere but still carries a significant signature of a place in Indonesia. Nasi campur is an example of that.
Anywhere in Indonesia, you can find a type of Nasi campur, which is a mixed rice served with various side dishes but has its own signature. So if you go to java, bali, or sumatra, even sulawesi, you will always find a scoop of rice with mixed side dishes. The side dishes are what makes Nasi campur differ from one island to another.
For instance, in Java they call nasi campur as Nasi rames. It has a scoop of rice, beef stew, spicy potato, some salad, and sprinkled with fried shallots. Meanwhile, Bali has Nasi campur which consists of vegetables, sate lilit, chicken,sambal matah, teri kacang. I think Bali has the most fascinating nasi campur. So, that’s what I want to highlight today, Nasi Campur from Bali.
As I mentioned, it consists of vegetables, sate lilit, chicken, sambal matah, and teri kacang. I will now explain what are those foreign words that you just read.
- Vegetable : In the local language they call this Jukup Urap that consists of long beans, spicy shredded coconut, bean sprouts, lime leaves and several other spices.
- Sate lilit is uniquely from Bali. It is made from either minced beef, pork, chicken sometimes to the extreme, turtle meat. I have once visited a place that sells Sate lilit in the pork version. You can read about it here Sate Lilit And Nasi Campur Balinese Cuisine With Rice Paddy View.
- Ayam Suwir (Shredded Chicken with spicy and savory taste). The spice is so complex that it has more than 4 types of spices which includes lemongrass, bay leaves, lime leaves, and shrimp paste.
- Sambal matah is a spicy paste uniquely from Bali. It consists of chopped chili, onion, lemongrass, and kaffir lime leaves. It’s so different from the Javanese sambal which is often a paste instead of roughly chopped chillies.
- Teri kacang is anchovies with nuts that’s fried and then given sweet and spicy spices.
When it comes to the taste Balinese Nasi campur, it’s a mixture of spicy, a bit of zesty and also savory. As I mentioned it has quite a bit of lemon grass and lime leaves. It’s quite a refreshing food to say the least and also spicy. If you can’t eat spicy food, then try to order only with sate lilit minus the spicy shredded chicken.
Below is a picture of each ingredient that you can see. I got this from a Balinese place as I am hoping that this would taste quite similar to an authentic Nasi campur from Bali. This dish makes me miss Bali even more. So, even though I can’t travel to Bali right now, at least I can explore it from the food that I am eating.
Unfortunately, the food was so spicy for my palate that I had to take meds after eating it. And for my own preference, I would rather have the pork version, with soup, and various kinds of pork cooked in different spices that’s often sweet and not too spicy.
This is another gallery of each ingredient that may compel you to try it.
So, if you visit Indonesia, this should also be on your list after Nasi Kuning.
Hope You Enjoyed This article!
| Mac covers technology, philosophy, nootropics, books, productivity, minimalist lifestyle, cybersecurity, and languages. Other than those, she is passionate about cooking and travel. In her free time, she enjoys learning various things. Hive is the only social media and blog that she has. |