Base Ganep, meaning "complete spice" in Indonesian, is an aromatic seasoning paste that is an essential ingredient in any Balinese dishes.
Here to show us how it's made is our guide, William Wongso. And a Hindu priest and barbecue pit master, Chef Gede Yudi Awan.
[Chef Gede Yudi Awan] This is the basic of Balinese cooking. Which is very important. It's a basic spice base caled Base Ganep.
"Base" means "spice" in the Balinese language. "Ganep" is "complete."
So, uh, let's see how he does it.
You need ginger. But the most important - ginger - you never peel the ginger.
You clean the ginger because the aroma in the skin is still full of flavor, in the skin.
And he's chopping.
This is a galanga. Also, you don't wash the galanga. They *do* wash the galanga, but they don't.... They don't *skin* the galanga.
[Chopping sounds]
This galanga is very aromatic.
But some of the area - they use the young ones for veggies, but this is for flavor and for spices.
[Rooster crows/ chopping sounds]
When they do it, they do it a lot, and then they can use this base to cook different types of dishes.
This is a galanga family.
Some people say lesser galanga. But that's not fully correct.
Also, it has a very medicinal aroma.
And, uh....
Medically, this is more like an antibiotic. When you have a sore throat, you can chew it like this.
And you chop it. This is one of the main, important ingredients in Balinese spice base.
And all of these spices are full of medicinal substance.
This is tumeric.
This is lemongrass.
[Rooster crows/chopping sounds]
Now it's five. Now is garlic.
The Balinese mostly prefer aged garlic. It's not fresh garlic. So it's more.... Drier.... More flavors.
And then this is.... This is what..... in the western world..... It's hard to find....
A shallot.
This is actually un-replaceable by onion.
The closest is the Indian Onion. It's this size.
If you don't have any choice, then you can use this one.
Then comes the.... padi chili.
This is spicy. But not very spicy.
To my opinion, the "not as spicy" is what everybody thinks.
But most Indonesian cooking....
...Is not always spicy. But the sambal - or the chili salsa - separate as a concoction.
You can have it, or you don't have it.
They do it, many different versions. Some, they boil the chili.
Some stir fry the chili, mixed with garlic.
And it depends on what kind of food they match to.
[Chopping sounds]
Black pepper.
Coriander. This is coriander.
White pepper.
[Speaking in Balinese]
This is what they call Wangen. Which is the Balinese.....
Like in Chinese, they have Five Spices, or the Indians, they have garam masala... This is the Balinese version.
This is cumin.
And then.... Nutmeg.
[sound of cracking a nut]
Nutmeg.
Oh. This is a candlenut. If....
The substitute in other countries, when you don't find the candlenut, the closest would be macadamias.
Except the macadamia has lesser oil.
Here, when they want to cook something, but does not want to use coconut milk, they can use this.
But in the market, you can buy the candlenut without its shell.
When we go to the market, they have a set of these spices in a little pouch.
So, you don't have to mix again, and it's always ready-made.
But some, like Chef Yudi, he want to use his own selected ingredients. This is the....
...fermented shrimp paste.
Called "belacan" in Malaysia. Or in Thailand, they call it "kapi."
Salt.
When you do this kind of spice in the modern kitchen. Some believe.... the more traditional chef believes it's not good.
Because they use a machine.
To my understanding, when you use a mincer, or any blender: do it with a pulse. Don't do it in a continuous manner.
Because otherwise, you will bring in a lot of air into the spice, and it will become oxidized. This one, it never get oxidized.
Chef Yudi is going to stir fry slowly, until it's very aromatic.
And put this.... [Speaking Indonesian]
[Stir fry sounds]
The Balinese basic spice base has a very distinct flavor, which you don't find in other [cuisines].
I can immediately tell the difference between the Balinese and the Taiwanese, because the aroma of the spice base is very, very distinct.