Balinese ingredients outside Bali, and what to use instead

The roots

Kencur, also sold as aromatic ginger, gives base genep its sharp, camphor-like note. Look for it frozen or dried in Asian shops. Without it, use a little extra galangal and a small piece of ginger; the paste tastes softer but still Balinese.

Galangal is firmer and more piney than ginger, and ginger alone is a weak swap. Frozen or jarred galangal is better than none.

Fresh turmeric colors and perfumes yellow rice and the spice paste. Ground turmeric works: use about half as much powder as grated fresh root.

Nuts, sugar, and paste

Candlenut, kemiri in Indonesian, thickens and enriches the paste. It is never eaten raw; it is fried or toasted, then ground. Macadamia nuts are the usual substitute, used the same way.

Palm sugar, gula Bali, is darker and less sweet than a pale supermarket block. Dark muscovado or coconut sugar is the nearest swap; start with a little less.

Shrimp paste, terasi, adds depth to the classic paste. For a vegetarian or vegan table, leave it out and add a pinch more salt. That is how the Petulu kitchen cooks on plant-based requests.

Kecap manis, sweet soy, can be made at a pinch by simmering equal parts soy sauce and dark sugar until it turns syrupy.

Leaves

Salam leaf, sometimes called Indonesian bay, has no close match. Leave it out rather than using European bay, which tastes of something else.

Kaffir lime leaf: frozen leaves keep for months; a strip of lime zest is the fallback. Lemongrass freezes well too, and sate lilit needs whole stalks if you want them as skewers.

Pandan paste or extract stands in for fresh leaves in dadar gulung and klepon; frozen leaves from an Asian shop taste closer.

Handle the real ones first

Substitutes are easier to judge once you know the original. On the morning class you see kencur, galangal, turmeric, and candlenut at the market stalls, then grind them at the Petulu table and taste what a fresh root does. The printed recipe booklet you take home lists the same ingredients.