Rice flour Cake

• 1 cup glutinous white rice
• 1 cup water
• I pandan leaf
• ½ cup palm sugar syrup (see recipe)
• ¼ cup thick coconut milk
• pinch of salt

Coconut Cake

• 2 cups freshly grated coconut, or 1½ cups dessicated coconut moistened with warm milk
• 1/3 cup glutinous rice flour
• 1/3 CUP plain rice flour
• ¼ cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Bean Salad with Chicken No big religious or private celebration would be held without serving this ritual dish. Only the eldest, and most experienced men are allowed to mix the many ingredients

• 3 cups blanched long beans cut in ½ cm (¼") slices
• cup grated cnconut, roasted
• 4-5 cloves garlic, peeled, sliced and fried
• 6 shallots, peeled, sliced and fried
• 2 large red chillies, seeded and cut in fine strips
• 4-6 bird's-eye chillies, finely sliced
• 3 teaspoons fried chillies (Sambel Sare Tabia)
• 2 tablespoons chicken spice paste (see recipe)
• fried shallots to garnish

• 250 g (1/2 lb) boneless chicken, minced
• 2 tablespoons chicken spice paste
• 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
• crushed banana leaf, cut in 30 cm (12 in) square

Grilled Fish in Banana Leaf

Balinese Squid

If youTre only accustomed to eating deemfried squid, you'll be surprised by tbe difference when its is cooked Balinese style. If squid is unavailable, replace with large cuttlefish or any other firm fish fillets such as snapper or sea bass.

• 600 g (1¼ lb) baby squid
• 1 tablespoon fresbly squeezed lime juice
• 1/3 teaspoon powdered white Pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 5 shallots, peeled and sliced
• 2 large red chillies, seeded and sliced
• 1 cup seafood spice paste (see recipe)
• 1 cup chicken stock (see recipe)
• 5 sprigs lemon basil, sliced
• fried shallots
• sprigs of lemon basil to garnish

Remove skin of squid and put out the tentacles and head. Cut off and discard the head and beaky portion, but reserve the tentacles if preferred. Clean the squid thoroughly inside and out. Marinate squid with lime juice, pepper and salt. Heat oil in wok, add shallots, chillies and squid and saute for 2 minutes over high heat. Add seafood spice paste and continue to saute for 1 more minute. Pour in chicken stock, add the sliced basil and bring to hot. Reduce beat and simmer for 1 minute. Season to taste and garnish with sprigs of lemon basil, fried shallots and serve with steamed rice.

Note: if you are using frozen squid, plunge in boiling water for 30 seconds to seal the squid, thus ensuring that it will saute' rather than stew.

Marinated Grilled Fish

• 1 kg (2 lb) whole snapper, deaned
• 2 tablepoons freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon powdered white pepper
• 1 cup seafood spice paste (see recipe)
• oil to brush fish

Note: As fish tends to stick very easily, be sure to oil both the fish and the grill liberally before cooking. If you used a hinged wire grilling rack that holds the fish firmly, it makes the cooking much easier and ensures the fish doesn't break up. Snapper can be replaced by any other whole white-fleshed fish suitable for grilling, such as perch or sea bass.

Vegetable and Fruit Salad with Palm Sugar Sauce

This popular snack, an intriguing mixture of sweet, sour and spicy hot flavours, is prepared at countless warung tbroughout Bali.

• 1 small pineapple, peeled and sliced evenly
• 1 sour mango, peeled and sliced
• 1 pomelo or grapefruit, peeled and cut in segments
• 1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded and sliced
• 3 water apples (jambu), quartered (optional)
• 1 medium-sized starfruit, sliced
• ½ small papaya, peeled, cut in half, seeded and sliced in even segments
• 1 green apple, peeled and sliced
• 1 cup Rujak Sauce

Black Rice Pudding

It's bard to find a foreign visitor to Bali who does not fall in love with the wonderful nutty flavour and mcli ngly sin ooth texture of Black Rice Pudding, served with a swirl of creamy coconut milk on top.

• Palm Sugar
• a little water
• Pandan leaf