30
Jan/Feb 2015
There is no doubt that Puspa is the star
of the Paon show, but she’s supported
by a brilliant team of around ten staff
who keep everything running smoothly
and are always somehow just there
when you need advice. They keep
you on track with instructions that are
easy to understand, like ‘start your
engines!’ when it’s time to light the gas
burner for a new dish. With one frying
pan between the two of us, we took
turns at stirring and as each dish was
complete, we added the contents of
our frying pan into a larger communal
dish that was whisked away to keep
warm until it was time to eat.
Once all the dishes were done and
our sate skewers had been expertly
grilled over coconut charcoal by the
Paon team, one of the transformer
workbenches became a presentation
table where our culinary creations were
beautifully laid out as a long buffet. All
that cooking was hungry work so our
first plateful was gone within moments.
There was plenty of food for seconds
and it was so delicious we would have
gone back for thirds if it wasn’t for the
impending yoga class we had planned
for that afternoon.
8
No feast is complete
without dessert,
so ‘Aunty Puspa’
showed us how to
make kolak pisang by simmering slices
of banana in coconut cream with palm
sugar syrup. Some of us channelled
our inner masterchef and had a
go at copying her beautiful plating
presentation, while others went with
more of a Picasso approach.
We don’t like to play favourites but if
we had to choose, our pick of the day
would be the tempe kering (crispy
tempeh), which just goes to show that
you can make anything taste good if
you deep fry it in coconut oil and add
heaps of sweet soy sauce.
With an entrée involving fascinating visits
to the markets and rice fields, followed
by a main course of getting to know
the ingredients and cooking techniques
and a dessert of getting to consume
what is created, the school has the
perfect menu for anyone with an
interest in cooking. Add Wayan, Puspa
and their staff as a permanent garnish
and here you have all the ingredients
for a fantastic day out.
8. Kolak Pisang: Banana
and jackfruit in coconut
milk make a sweet treat
9. What a spread: Aunty
Puspa shows off the fruits
of our labours
www.essential-bali.com
9
DO IT OUR WAY
We cooked up a Balinese storm at
Paon Bali Cooking Class in Laplapan
Village, Ubud. The price of 350,000 Rp
includes a visit to the market and the
rice paddies on the way to Wayan
and Puspa’s traditional family home
for the main event. It’s worth it for the
delicious buffet banquet alone. A
later class is also available at 4pm
but does not include a market visit.
Pick ups are free in the Ubud area;
contact Paon for other locations.
www.paon-bali.com
+62 (0) 8133 793 9095
[email protected]