Bali, the famous island of Indonesia, is one of the topmost tourist destinations in the world. This is because of the beautiful turquoise blue beaches, countless waves for surfing, scuba diving, waterfalls, green paddy fields, and many more. Bali combines adventure and leisure impeccably. Bali is renowned for its sophisticated and diverse art forms such as painting, woodcarving, and performing arts. This place also has a distinctive cuisine, and hence the streets of Bali are always crowded with a variety of street foods.
The Balinese people are truly amazing and friendly apart from their warm and welcoming character. They have an open mind and have a pure loving spirit. Besides all these, the real pride of Bali lies in its traditional local street food. The street food in Bali is sold in Hawkers and Warungs. A hawker is a food seller who travels around with a food cart selling his food on the streets of Bali, whereas a Warung is a local eatery with a particular location on the street serving the local dishes.
11 Traditional Indonesian Street Food Recipes:
Every region in Bali has its own street food that can be found on the warungs and hawkers. Here is our selection of the best and affordable street foods in Bali:
Sate Lilit:
Arguably, this Bali dish tops the list of the street foods available in this place, which translates to ‘barbequed meat on bamboo sticks.’ This Sate is basically pieces of minced meat on skewers. The minced meat, grated coconut, lemon juice, shallots mixed with coconut milk and chili pepper and is wound around a lemongrass stick or bamboo, then grilled on charcoal. The authentic Sate Lilit is made of pork or fish, but sometimes you can choose chicken or beef for the meat. This mouth-watering snack has a spicy, sweet, and savory taste that can be enjoyed by viewing the sunset on the beaches of Bali.
Babi Guling:
The tourists in Bali say that the trip to Bali does not end without having Babi Guling. Such is the specialty of this delicious street food in Bali. The roasted pig is infused with the best spices, traditional herbs, onions, garlic, shallots, and lemongrass. This was once a ceremonial dish but has become quite popular on the streets because of its distinctive roasting technique making Babi Guling an outstanding dish.
Nasi Campur:
It is said that Indonesians cannot live without Nasi Campur because this is the staple meal of many southeast Asian Countries. This actually is not the food of Bali, but the Bali version of Nasi Campur is a must-try because of its spices and variety of rice they offer. This yummy food is being provided by almost all warungs in Bali, which consists of Nasi Puti (white rice), nasi kuning (yellow rice boiled in coconut milk), or red rice. The rice is accompanied with tofu or tempeh in spicy sauce, stir-fried veggies, and cooked veggies, boiled egg and meat if desired, and sate lilit.
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Bakso:
Bakso, in itself, is an Indonesian meatball served with hot broth, soft noodles, and fried dumplings. This food is quite famous sold by many hawkers who move around the streets of Bali. The authentic Bakso is made using beef mince, rice flour, and salt. Pork, chicken, and shrimp meat variants may also be used by some vendors. This is best enjoyed between the meals or on cold winter nights.
Nasi Jingo:
This is also called Jinggo Rice, the best option for a wholesome breakfast or brunch. This rice is served in a banana leaf with the preferred side dishes. There is a saying that you can fit the whole Nasi Jingo in the palm of your hand, and hence it is considered to be an on-the-go meal for many tourists. The side dishes options range from spiced noodles, vegetables, chili sauce, and if you wish to have meat, then the options are eggs, seafood, beef, pork, etc.
Pisang Rai:
Bali being a tropical country, fruits like coconut and bananas are abundantly available. This traditional morning snack of Bali is made with the best bananas coated with the homemade rice flour, and the combo is boiled or steamed. The resulting dish is then topped with freshly grated coconut and served in a coconut leaf. Many street vendors serve this salivating dish with a sauce made from brown sugar to add sweetness to Pisan Rai.
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Lawar:
Lawar is somewhat a large meal that can be enjoyed for lunch or dinner usually found in many Bali’s warungs. The steamed rice is served with a mixture of vegetables, coconut, and mincemeat immersed in rich herbs and spices (ground pepper, green beans, jackfruit, and shrimp paste). Traditionally made Lawar uses blood to intensify the taste and red color. The choice of minced can be pork, beef, or chicken.
Bubur Mengguh:
Bubur Mengguh is the delicious dish of Bali, which is made with or without meat. Here the rice porridge is cooked in coconut milk and is topped with several ingredients such as green beans, peanuts, galangal. This dish is served with a sauce composed of brown and red onions, shallots, turmeric, red chilies, coriander, salt, and ground pepper. For non-vegetarians, a topping of fried chicken with bay leaves can be chosen. The more the coconut in the dish, the creamier it becomes.
Srombotan:
This vegetable dish is a mix of veggies drizzled with sambal kelepa, a coconut chili sauce, and bumbu koples, a sweet soy sauce, mixed with beautiful spices. Srombotan actually hails from Klungkung, but it is also available in Bali in its own flavor of spices. This considered one of the delicious vegetarian dishes found in Bali.
Laklak:
Laklak is Bali’s green colored traditional cake made by mixing the rice flour and coconut milk. The green color on Laklak is because of the suji leaves and the pandan leaves. This sweet mouth-watering dish is served with grated coconut and a brown sugar sauce. This can be best enjoyed leisurely in the evenings.
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Martabak:
Martabak is one of Bali’s favorite snack that can be enjoyed on the calm beaches or during the dinner as a dessert. This is an oil pastry stuffed with delicious savory fillings such as eggs or minced chicken in it. The sweet version of Martabak is a pancake stuffed with chocolates and peanuts or honey and banana. This yummy sweet Martabak satisfies your cravings for a dessert.
Best Street Food Places in Bali Indonesia:
- Bali, an attractive tourist spot, is also the host of various street foods all around the city. Sindhu Market near Kota Denpasar serves you one of the delicious Nasi Campur in the town.
- Sate Lilik, one of the famous snack of Bali, is found on every corner of Bali, but the best ones are found at Seminyak near Bintang Supermarket.
- Elnino Bali Street food in Denpasar city also serves the best Sate Lilik of the whole town.
- If you want to start your day with a delicious snack, then head away to the Morning market at Ubud Kabupaten Gianyar to taste the delightful Pisang Rai.
- The scrumptious meal of Lawar is best available at Segara beach or near Sangeh, Abiansemal, in the city.
- The street which goes to Sanur, Kec Denpasar Sel, serves you one of the tastiest Babi Guling.
- Many warungs can be spotted in the city, which serves the best Indonesian street food, but the best warungs can be spotted at Sanur Kaja, Denpasar Selatan.
- If you are near the airport and need a quick bite, then Warung Mufu Balinese is the perfect choice before leaving for the flight.
Street food is the most authentic depiction of the tradition and culture of a place. Bali’s culinary scene is only as lively as its blue beaches and waterfalls filled with traditional custom and colorful tastes. Balinese street food gives you a chance to experience what Bali is about giving your tastebuds a wild ride. Make sure that you eat the street foods at busy hawkers and warungs only to prevent getting sick from any Bali street food. So, why waiting? Go on to the Bali street food tour, and please don’t forget to share your experience with us.
