Category Archives: Food

Chivas Regal and History behind the Best Scotch Whiskey

03/03/2014 Shem MD 3 Comments

A whiskey tasting shall not complete if you have not try Chivas Regal yet. The best thing about this liquor is that it is widely available and accessible in almost every continent – from Europe to Asia Pacific. You can enjoy the unique taste of this Scotch whiskey in a classy café or restaurant or order it from the shop, and enjoy it right in your home with the loved ones in a special occasion. The whiskey is produced in various ranges, which depend on the year of the production. Just like any other liquor, the older it is, the more expensive it will be. The taste is incredibly unexpected for a widely available whiskey, yet in limited quantities; some have low expectation, but wait until you taste it yourself.

The History of Chivas Rigal

It dates back in the 1801, where the Chivas Brothers established a grocery store in Aberdeen, providing supply of goods, and malt whiskey in highest quality to the local people at that time. The Chivas brothers also supplied provisions for the royal family after Queen Victoria’s visit to Scotland. As the business grew, they gained reputation and started to build their own brands. It began with the advent of grain whiskey in 1830s, and James Chivas started to provide fine Scotch whiskies of their aged blends in the shop.

For their outstanding work of service, in 1843, they were granted Royal Warrant by Queen Victoria to supply provisions to the Royal Households. Since then, the Brothers responded to the high demand of the customers for smoother whiskey. In their home’s distillery in Keith, they started to select and blended the finest malt and grain whiskey of smoothness and richness harmony of flavor. This is what is recognized as the new method of producing fine whiskey.

In 1909, the 25-year-old blend of Chivas regal product entered New York, and in a short period, the new product became popular among the elite of Manhattan. Unfortunately, despite its popularity and high demand, the 25-year-old blend was shut down due to the prohibition in 1920. In 1938, Chival Regal made a comeback in the market with their 12-year-old blend whiskey, and the company grew rapidly due to the exceptional publication and campaign.

The Beginning of Popularity

In 1997, a new signature was born, namely 18-year-old blend Chival Regal, which achieved several award for new blend. This premium quality of scotch is a unique blend, containing exceptionally deep, complex, and richness of flavor. In 2007, the 25-year-old blend of whiskey was recreated by master blender Charles Howard in the same Chivas tradition. Up until today, Chivas Regal still stands tall and loved by the customers.

With such a long history, it is no wonder that Chivas Regal achieves its position today as the best-blend scotch. This whiskey has the smoothest texture according to almost every scotch lovers around the world; every aspect of this liquor deserves premium status. This drink is the perfect gift to impress someone, or to hold a dinner banquet. Despite those super-premium characteristics, Chivas Regal comes in a very expensive price, and it is only available in limited stock.

Delicious Takoyaki Types by Coco Takoyaki Malang

02/28/2014 TravelFore Leave a comment

If you ever visited Japan or at least love Japanese food, you must know the popular street food takoyaki. While basically this is a very simple food (grilled octopus inside fried flour dumpling), takoyaki is famous because of its unique taste, rich sauce and topping, and its status as comfort food with cheap price. Takoyaki is so famous that there is even takoyaki museum in Japan, and its recipes appear in various websites and recipe books. Also, you can find places to buy takoyaki outside Japan, such as Coco Takoyaki in Malang, Indonesia.

Just ask the owner of this Coco Takoyaki, Shem M.D. (Founder of Travelfore.com). His love for this Japanese street snack has made him started Coco Takoyaki at food court 3rd floor in Malang Town Square, Malang, East Java, Indonesia. Unlike many other dumb-down takoyaki stalls, he insists of keeping the original taste of takoyaki like in Japan. This is a good place to taste the original takoyaki and try out various flavors, since takoyaki is quite a versatile snack.

Takoyaki Origins and Types

Takoyaki was first invented by Tomekichi Endo, a street vendor in Osaka, in year 1935. In Japan, takoyaki is famous as the later development of an earlier snack called akashiyaki, a fried egg dumpling filled with octopus that comes from Akashi City in Hyogo Prefecture. However, takoyaki later became more popular than akashiyaki, although the cooking style is similar. Takoyaki is made of batter made of wheat flour, filled with chopped octopus (tako) and mixed with tempura scraps before fried in special pan with many half round spots.

Traditionally, takoyaki is sprinkled with green onion and laver, and thin shaves of bonito made of fish, and eaten with special takoyaki sauce that taste like Worcestershire sauce. Now, the popular serving of takoyaki includes mayonnaise, but sometimes there are shops that sell takoyaki with different options of sauce such as soy sauce, chili sauce, ponzu sauce (soy based sauce with lime), sesame sauce and many more. All contribute to the rich taste of takoyaki.

Now, you can find takoyaki in various taste and flavors, thanks to the versatility of this snack. Many snack shops, including Coco Takoyaki, do not only use octopus as the filling. Popular fillings now include cheese blocks, crabstick, chicken, shrimp, and beef (or basically anything that goes will with the fried flour dumpling). Dried seaweed powder is sometimes added to give richer taste. However, traditional toppings and filling such as octopus, bonito shaves, green onion and special takoyaki sauce are still kept and become long time favorites.

Takoyak Serving Style

Takoyaki is usually served in a box with toothpicks to eat it, and in Japan, one box usually contain eight takoyaki balls (based on the standard size of takoyaki pan). However, in many takiyaki shops, sometimes there is option for four takoyaki instead of eight. Many modern takoyaki shops in Japan also sell takoyaki in ‘takoyaki boat,’ a large boat shaped bowl contains takoyaki balls in different fillings. Placing different fillings in one box is also a popular menu option in modern takoyaki shops around the world including at Coco Takoyaki.

So, if you love takoyaki and cannot go to Japan, visit an original takoyaki shop nearby right now, such as Coco Takoyaki in Malang, Indonesia.

Asia, Editor's Picks, Food, Restaurant Reviews, Street Food Guide

Famous Food You Can Try in Geylang

01/30/2014 Shem MD 1 Comment

If you love to eat and have a plan to visit Singapore, do not miss the chance to sample foods in Geylang. This popular tourist destination is famous for its lines of food stalls and restaurants, and you can eat almost anything Asia can offer. This is because Singapore is like a small Asia, where immigrants from various parts in Asia come and blend with locals, creating unique mix of culture.

You can eat Indonesian, Malaysian, Singaporean and Chinese foods in Geylang, whether you eat at cheap food hawker stalls or in fancy restaurants. Here are some of the best ‘must-try’ foods in Geylang area.

Crispy Chicken at Moi Lum Restaurant

Moi Lum is a famous restaurant located in Maxwell Road, and this is a favorite place for many Singaporean families and tourists to gather and enjoy hearty meals. The restaurant is not fancy and more like a homey, family style restaurant. There are various Chinese dishes here, but the favorite is crispy roast chicken and crispy chicken skin. They both come with delicious sauce, and while the roast chicken is tender and juicy with delicious skin, the crispy chicken skin is probably better as beer companion. The taste is amazing, not too salty and very crispy as well as succulent. Address: 38 Maxwell Rd, Singapore 069116.

Geylang Claypot Rice

This is a great, hot and hearty dish that you can eat anywhere, but the most famous Geylang claypot rice is served in a restaurant with the same name. This dish is a combination of rice, vegetables, marinated chicken and fish, pork and traditional Chinese sausages made of pork and duck liver. Cooked in a clay pot and eaten directly from it, the dish has rich taste and it will make you feel super satisfied. Address: 639 Geylang Rd, Singapore 389570.

Smelly Tofu

This funny sounding dish is fermented fried tofu served in thin slices, eaten with condiments and sauce such as sweet and spicy sauce. The most famous restaurant that serves smelly tofu is Mini Star, which is located in 789 Geylang Road.

Turtle Soup

There are only few places that serve turtle soup, and one of the famous places is Ser Seng, a herbal store that also doubles as restaurant. Turtle soup is famous as a long time healthy food that has a lot of benefits in China, and it is also believed to make you live long (from the fact that many turtles can live for hundreds of years). The soup itself is probably more like chicken soup with herbal aroma, but it is the health benefits that people are looking for. Address : Lorong 21 Geylang, 29 Lorong Bachok.

Rochor Bean Curd

Rochor Bean Curd is a famous dessert in Geylang Road that is sought out by many culinary lovers. Despite the small shop, the dessert is very delicious. It is made of coagulated soymilk and it can be served hot for breakfast, or cold for delicious dessert. The cold version is sometimes served with gelatinous pearls. The shop also sells other soy related snacks and dishes such as tofu fries and fried bread. Address: 745 Geylang Rd, Singapore 389653.

So, if you are in Geylang, do not forget to visit these places and try their unique dishes. Of course, while you are in Singapore, you do not want to miss a chance to taste durian, the king of fruit.

Celebrity Chefs, Editor's Picks

Martin Yan, Bringing Chinese Food to the World

01/25/2014 Shem MD 1 Comment

Among many celebrity chefs that color America’s culinary world, Martin Yan is the most prominent figure in promoting Chinese food, combining it with modern twists and solution for practical and easy cooking. His cheerful character helps him to become one of the most recognizable chefs in TV, especially with his famous show ‘Wok with Yan.’ While most people know him from his appearance in TV shows, Chef Yan is a genius and renowned figure in the world of Chinese and Cantonese culinary.

Educational Background

Martin Yan has been exposed to the world of culinary and fresh products since very tender age. Born in Guangzhou on December 22nd 1948, Martin Yan has a father who is a famous restaurant owner and a mother who is a grocer. Therefore, he has been familiar with the world of cooking and fresh products since he was very young. However, he only started to cook seriously at the age of 12 and mostly learned to cook Cantonese and Shanghai food which is his root.

Martin Yan then decided that cooking is his way, and so when he moved to Hong Kong in 1961, he started working part time in his uncle’s Chinese barbeque restaurant to support his college as well as to learn more about Chinese cuisine. His experience here would further increase his cooking repertoire in Chinese culinary.

Later, he continued his cooking study, first at Overseas Institute of Cookery in Hong Kong, and then University of California where he got Master Degree in 1975, in food science field. However, only after 3 years did people start to recognize him.

The Fame Time

At first, he worked at the same university where he got his Master Degree as teacher, but in 1978, he started his first cooking show called Yan Can Cook, which quickly became a huge hit. Basically, the show concept is like traveling cooking, in which Chef Yan travels to various places and interacts with people, and then he will talk about the area’s specialty or specific features before creating dishes that are related to the areas he visit. Not only tourist destinations, in one episode, he even traveled to a jailhouse.

Yan Can Cook was one of the biggest hits in the 70’s cooking show, and it has been broadcasted to several counties including Indonesia. His recipes and his cheerful personality helped launching his name into public eyes. Until now, he has been a guest to more than 3,000 cooking shows in America and Asia. He even served as a judge in an episode of Hell’s Kitchen.

Yan’s Role in Chinese Cuisine

Martin Yan is considered a pioneer in introducing the richness of Chinese culinary world to the Western world. According to him, while Chinese food definitely already got a good place in Western world’s tables, many people still have no idea that ‘Chinese food’ does not encompass the richness of that culinary tradition.

There are so many variations in Chinese food according to regions, and each has its own characteristics. Therefore, Chef Martin Yan has made it his mission to introduce the more complex and sophisticated Chinese foods to public, including telling them about Cantonese, Shanghai, Beijing, Sichuan and Xian cuisines.

Food, North America, Restaurant Reviews

AMERICA’S TACO CONNECTION

01/04/2014 Tim Scott Leave a comment

There is a history of love affair between America & Tacos and it is one of the most favorite finger street food popular throughout the subcontinent. Its the traditional Mexican dish made of wheat or corn tortilla rolled around a filling such as beef, pork, fish, seafood or vegetables garnished with salsa, avocado, tomato, onions or lettuce. The first ever taco feast documented in the history was held in 1520 by Herman Cortes with his captains before he & his army set out to invade the Aztecs Empire. The word ‘Taco’ was actually coined in the 18th century silver mines in Mexico which at that time actually meant ‘paper wrapped around gunpowder’. When at the beginning of the 20th century Mexican immigrants started migrating to America, they brought with them the Mexican flavors to the American way of food and thus started the Taco culture in United States.

The first Taco sighting in the United States was in 1905 and Gradually it became immensely popular with the arrival of variety in the servings such as Al Pastor, carnitas, Sudados, De Cabeza, Carne Asada, etc and the Mexican Americans of the South West reinvented the todays Tacos in many flavors and shapes. In 1954 Glen Bell opens up a little taco stand called Taco tia which he later I 1962 transformed into world’s first Mexican fast food franchise better known as Taco Bell. Today Tacos of all flavors and shapes are eaten in America and in 2012 Americans ate over 4.5 Billion tacos in one year alone. In present time there are 30,910 Mexican food restaurants in United States generating a revenue of 30.7 Billion US Dollars.
With the Baja-style tacos (grilled or fried fish typically topped with slaw, pico de gallo, and sour cream-based sauce) are becoming fiercely popular now a days here we present you with some of the best Tacos in the United States.

Puerto Nuevo style San Diego seafood restaurants ROCKIN’ BAJA LOBSTER serving Baja style lobster dinners as well as many other Mexican seafood specialties such as Fajitas, Tacos, Nachos, Burritos in many of their restaurants along the Southern California coastline.
Ricky’s Los Angeles Fish taco serving Ricky Piña and Ensenada-style fish, shrimp & lobster tacos.
Tito’s Tacos, Culver City, Calif is famous for its plump burritos and for good old American style tacos with cheese
Torchy’s Tacos, serving tortilla-bound concoctions across various Texas location in trailer parks.
El Real Tex-Mex Café, Houston serving Tex-Mex classics like chile con carne, nachos, and Frito pie is well known for their San Antonio Puffy Taco Plate
Chico’s Tacos, El Paso, Texas is quite famous for serving its signature dish: three rolled “tacos” containing ground beef covered in finely shredded cheese & red “salsa” with jalapeño salsa topping in a white cardboard boat.

Asia, Editor's Picks, Food, Street Food Guide

Hunting for Delicious Foods at Gurney Drive Penang

11/28/2013 Shem MD Leave a comment

Street stalls that sell street side foods always become attractions for culinary lovers anywhere they go, and in Malaysia, the most recommended spot to taste the best street side foods is Gurney Drive in Penang area. Also known in local language as Persiaran Gurney, this area of food stalls is located in front of the beach. You can eat here while enjoying the view of beach and high-rise buildings that are mostly condominiums and bungalows.

Gurney Drive is actually an affluent neighborhood; buildings that dominate this area are luxury apartments, condominiums, and seaside bungalows. There are also two famous plazas: Gurney Plaza and Gurney Paragon. There are skyscrapers that make an impressive background behind the whole area. However, while this area is identical with affluence, the most popular attraction among locals and tourists is still the street food stalls area.

Gurney Drive Street Food Stalls

Under the imposing shadows of high-rise buildings, luxury residential buildings and skyscrapers, there are lines of street food stalls that deliver taste of Asia. Called by locals as Pusat Penjaja Tanjung Gurney, the area is located on a spot between Gurney Plaza and Sunrise Tower. Although Gurney Plaza is populated by visitors, there are so many plaza visitors who also choose to eat at one of food stalls at this area. Although the price of foods here have been risen since the first time this area operated in 1970s, Gurney Drive food stall area is still considered a cheap place to enjoy local taste.

At Gurney Drive, you can find various dishes, sweet treats and beverages that originate from various areas in Asia such as Malaysia, Indonesia, China, Singapore, India and Hong Kong. This is because Malaysia is also home for many immigrants from those areas, and they bring along their rich cuisines, adding the varieties of foods you can find in Malaysia.

What You Can Eat

Many foods sold at Gurney Drive have a rich taste, especially because people in Asia love foods with prominent spices. There are some popular recommendations of foods that you must try at Gurney Drive:

Hokkien Char Noodle (Hokkien Char Mee), a type of yellow noodle that is served with soy sauce, vegetables, pork, fish cake and fried pork fat. Sometimes, Hokkien Noodle is served with prawn and other seafood.
Java Noodle (Java Mee), a type of noodle dish from Java Island, Indonesia. It usually consists of yellow noodle cooked with yellow, rich broth, sprinkled with cabbage, shredded chicken, egg and fried red onions. There is also the fried version called Mee Goreng (literally “fried noodle”).
Satay, a type of meat dish that is usually chopped into small cuts, put in the skewers and roasted on charcoals with soy sauce and some spices. The traditional companion for this dish is rice, rice cake, cucumber slices, tomatoes and chili paste.
Char Koay Teow, a popular Malaysia-Singapore dish made of fried noodle, chives, prawns or other seafood, chili, bean sprouts and soy sauce.

Do not forget to visit Gurney Drive next time you visit Malaysia and enjoy delightful local taste.

Asia, Destinations, Editor's Picks, Street Food Guide

The Vibrant Shilin Night Market in Taiwan

11/28/2013 Shem MD 1 Comment

Everyone in Taiwan knows that if you want to see the most vibrant night view, you must go to Shilin Night Market. Shilin Market Taiwan is also one of the most famous tourist destinations in Taiwan, and it is much recommended for travelers who visit this country. Located in the district with the same name, this colorful place is also the biggest night market in Taipei, Taiwan’s capital city.

This market has everything, from food stalls to clothing and jewelry, from bars to video arcades, and from street side snacks to toys. This is also a favorite place for students to hang out with friends, because the market usually opens around 4 PM, after school is over. This is also a favorite place for locals to buy fresh goods for dinner, or hang out during weekend.

History of Shilin Market

Shilin Market Taiwan has been operating since 1909. It was used as a place for trading agricultural and farm products between Shilin District and other areas such as Dadaocheng and Banka. The humble market soon grew into bigger market that sold a lot more things and invited more customers. Gradually, the market turned into a trading, culinary and entertainment center. More vendor owners and merchants started business here. So many were they that the market finally turned into night market (it was previously a regular day market).

Eventually, Shilin Night Market became so crowded that it began to face fire risks as well as sanitation problems. Finally, the government relocated all food vendors; now, food vendors are located near to Metro Jiantan Station. Meanwhile, the old structure that previously housed food vendors were demolished and renovated. The project finished in 2011, and Shilin Market became its current look.

What You Find at Shilin Night Market

Just like its old days, Shilin Market Taiwan sells a lot of things and houses hundreds of vendors, including food stalls. There are about 540 food stalls at the food court, and there is a second structure above the non-food sections. It becomes a parking lot. This is a good place to really see the vibrant nightlife of Taiwan and see the lively interaction between locals and tourists. You can find almost everything, clothes, jewelry, souvenirs, accessories, bootlegged DVDs and imitation products of original European and America brands, video game arcades, bars, karaoke bars, nightclubs, toys and many more. However, the most famous place to visit at this night market is probably the food stalls.

Shilin Market Taiwan sells a lot of foods, but the favorite menus are usually traditional Chinese buns and their fried variations, fried steak (usually made of chicken), milk tea with ‘pearls’ (sweet gelatin balls), and oyster omelet. There are also popular Japanese fried foods, such as many types of tempura, and sweet treats such as peanut candy and jelly.

As a popular tourist destination, Shilin Market Taiwan is located in a very strategic spot and it can be reached from different areas using public transportation called The Red Line by locals (officially known as Taipei Rapid Transit System) that ends at Jiantan Station, located near the market. You can also use bus with particular numbers, such as 216 to 218, 224, 277 and 280.

Save up to $525 when you book your flight and hotel together at Expedia.com!

Editor's Picks, Food, Restaurant Reviews, Street Food Guide

10 Unique Indonesian Foods You Must Try

10/21/2013 Shem MD 4 Comments

When visiting Indonesia, do not skip the opportunities to try its original foods. Indonesia is a country rich in cultural heritages, including traditional foods. Each of 33 provinces in Indonesia has its own specific food, but many of them have spread to other provinces and become famous in many areas. Forget fancy fine dining; it is time for you to hit simple local restaurants or cheap food stalls to get these unique foods.

Sate Buntal
Sate (satay) buntal is one of Bali’s unique dishes besides betutu chicken and suckling pig. The word ‘buntal’ refers to the sate shape, which is not in small pieces of meat like the usual sate. Instead, sate buntal is made of finely chopped fish meat with spices, which are formed into one large lump orb bulge (‘buntalan’) using hands. The meat then attached on bamboo skewers and grilled.

Gudeg Kendhil
Gudeg is actually a famous and common dish in Yogyakarta Province in the center of Java; this is a rice dish eaten with stewed jackfruit, egg, chicken, sweet-savory spice and fried shaved coconut. However, Gudeg Kendhil is cooked in a clay pot (kendhil) and has hearty taste.

Mie Aceh
Mie Aceh (Aceh Noodle) is a spicy noodle dish from Aceh province in western Indonesia. The dish uses egg noodles with thick broth, served with beef, goat meat, crab, squid or prawn. There is also fried noodle version, but most people love Mie Aceh with broth.

Mie Bangka
Mie Bangka (Bangka Noodle) is almost similar with Mie Aceh. It is also made from egg noodle. However, the broth is lighter, served with various seafood dishes.

Gulai Patin
Gulai is a term for dish that is cooked with yellow coconut milk broth (the yellow color is from turmeric). Patin is a freshwater fish with soft meat that is very abundant in Jambi province. Gulai patin is usually cooked with coconut milk broth, but more traditional version uses fermented durian fruit flesh.

Ayam Taliwang
Ayam Taliwang (Taliwang chicken) is a chicken dish from Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara. This dish is a set of fried or grilled spiced chicken served with white rice, fresh vegetable salad and chili paste. Usually, this dish served with really hot spice.

Tinutuan/ Manado Porridge

This is a porridge dish from North Sulawesi. Tinutuan has become a staple food in many provinces, mainly because this dish is light and healthy. Tinutuan is rice porridge without any strong flavor, mixed with green vegetables and corn. To complement its light flavor, Tinutuan is often served with salted dried fish, boiled corn, and chili paste. This is also a popular dish for breakfast.

Gohu Ikan
Gohu Ikan is a dish from Ternate, Maluku province, which is well known as ‘Ternate sashimi.’ This is because Gohu ikan is a raw tuna fish mixed with very strong and sharp spices, such as chili, red onion, garlic, lime and many more.

Rujak Cingur
This East Java dish is made of cow’s snout or tongue, mixed with cucumber, young mango flesh, soy cake, pineapple, bean sprout and long beans. It is eaten with special spice made of prawn paste, palm sugar, chili, salt and fried onion.

Catemak Jagung
Catemak Jagung (corn catemak) is a type of dessert porridge made of corn, pumpkin and green bean, which is very popular in East Nusa Tenggara. Although this is dessert, the porridge is rather savory than sweet.

Celebrity Chefs, Editor's Picks

Chef James Martin, the Celebrity Chef

10/19/2013 Shem MD Leave a comment

Currently, being a chef is not just about cooking, creating recipes and running a restaurant or kitchen. A successful chef with good look can become ‘celebrity chef,’ just like in the case of Chef James Martin. While Chef Martin spent years learning about catering, savory cooking and pastry making, he is also well known in England and even in the world through his various TV shows since 1996.

Background

Born in 1972 in Yorkshire, England, Martin was originally a farmer kid who enjoyed cooking with his mother. He continued his interest in coking via a professional study in Scarborough Technical College, were he studied catering and had training at several famous restaurants, including Hostellerie De Plaisance in France.

With such impressive background, Martin was able to find his first job before age 20 as staff at Maison Troisgros, also in France. He then returned to England and worked at several famous restaurants there such as One Ninety Queen’s Gat, The Square and Harvey’s, before becoming pastry chef at Chewton Glen Hotel.

First TV Debut

Chef Martin first became TV celebrity in 1996 when he appeared in James Martin: Yorkshire’s Finest, in which he explored the culinary richness of his hometown. However, his name then started to soar when he appeared in BBC 2 cooking program, called Ready Steady Cook. Interestingly, at one point during his appearance in that program, he also gained world record as the fastest carrot chopper in the world, when he peeled and chopped 515 grams (almost a quarter pound) of carrots in 60 seconds.

Further Celebrity Debut

Chef Martin appeared in BBF Food show Stately Supers as well as reality show in Channel 4, where he and the host visited home cooks at their own houses for comfort food cooking challenge. Then, he got his first presenter gig in BBC1 in a weekend show called Saturday Kitchen. By this time, his name soared among BBC viewers as one of their celebrity chefs.

After Saturday Kitchen, Martin appeared in various shows such as Can You Cook It?, The Great British Village Show, James Martin’s Christmas Feast and Eating with the Enemy. One of his most successful programs was Operation Hospital Food, where he improved menu quality at Scarborough General Hospital. This show was highly appreciated by viewers, and becoming one of Chef Martin’s most successful shows.

TV Appearances in 2013

Chef Martin apparently has not lost his celebrity charm. This 2013, he appeared at several shows. Between February and March, Chef Martin explored United States and sampled various cakes and snacks before reviewing them in United Cakes of America. He was also involved in judging panel in June show, The Roux Scholarship, together with Angela Hartnett and Raymond Blanc.

His most recent appearance was in June, when he appeared in The Great British Budget Menu and showed various nutritious, delicious recipes with cheap ingredients. Besides all his TV appearances, Chef Martin is also a successful restaurant owner with two restaurants; The Leeds Kitchen at Alea Casino (closed due to the closing of the casino) and the latest one in The Talbot Hotel in North Yorkshire.

Editor's Picks, Food, Indonesia, Street Food Guide

List of the Most Popular Foods in Bali

10/03/2013 Shem MD 5 Comments

Bali is famous for not only its beauty and culture but also its food. Many tourists that visit Bali probably know more about iconic places in Bali than its foods. While you may prefer to enjoy fine dining meal in fancy restaurant, there is nothing wrong with hunting for Bali’s iconic dishes in local restaurants and cheap food stalls. If you want to explore everything good about Bali, food is the thing you cannot skip.

Bali’s Popular Food List
Here are some of the most popular foods in Bali you can find in various establishments:

Ayam Betutu

Ayam betutu (betutu chicken) is an iconic chicken dish in Bali that is loved by both locals and foreigners. This dish consists of steamed, spicy chicken served with white rice, vegetables and chili paste. Some local restaurants actually cook their chicken with hot ingredients, so if you cannot handle something spicy, order a lot of sweet drinks! A complete portion of this dish only costs around IDR 20,000 to 30,000 (about $2 to $3).

Babi Guling

Babi guling (suckling pig) is a type of roast dish made of whole pig roasted in a pit. This dish can be found in Denpasar, Kuta and Seminyak, from cheap stalls to upscale dining establishments. This menu is usually served for dinner, and the best way to enjoy this dish is at beachside restaurant or food stall. Usually, restaurants will put bold announcement outside their establishments about their suckling pig menu, to inform Moslem visitors.

Godoh Gedang

This is a simple dish made of fried sweet banana, which is very easy to find. Godoh gedang is eaten with coconut shave and palm sugar sauce, but some upscale restaurants serve this dish with white, creamy sweet sauce.

Bubur Injin

Bubur injin (injin porridge) is a type of warm dessert made of black sticky rice, crushed until soft and eaten with coconut milk.

Lawar

Lawar is a type of vegetable dish cooked with spices and chili, and sometimes mixed with beef or pork. There are restaurants that mix blood into their versions of lawar, which is believed make the taste stronger and more delicious. Lawar can be found anywhere; from cheap food stalls to local restaurants. If you are a Moslem, you should ask about the ingredients first before ordering.

Jaja Bali

Jaja Bali is actually a broad term given to various small, sweet cakes that are usually sold in the market. These cakes are popular as snacks or breakfast, eaten together with warm cup of tea or coffee. Since many of these cakes are made of rice, coconut and palm sugar, they are quick to stale. If you want to taste the original Jaja Bali, find traditional market and visit early in the morning. These small cakes are very cheap; often just IDR 500 to 1000 per piece (around 0.5 cent to 1 cent).

What do you think? Are you ready to explore Bali’s rich culinary? Never visit Bali without tasting some of these iconic foods to make your holiday in this island unforgettable.

The Worlds Foremost Travel Blogs | Travelfore