Cook in Bali
Learn to make sate lilit in Bali, by hand
Wrap sate lilit in Petulu
IDR 350.000per guest, shared class
What your hands learn when you press sate lilit onto lemongrass: sticky mince, a tight wrap, and charcoal that marks the outside without drying the middle.
By Chef Wayan Suryana, Warung Tumang BaliLast updated
The short answer
Sate lilit is Balinese mince pressed onto lemongrass and grilled. At Warung Tumang Bali in Petulu, guests mix the mince with base genep, wrap the stalks, and grill them over charcoal. Shared classes stop at eight. Morning sessions add the market; afternoons end in dinner.
Three things your hands learn
The first skill is the mince. Fish or chicken is pounded with fried base genep, grated coconut, and seasoning until it is sticky enough to cling. Too wet and it slides off the stalk; too dry and it cracks on the grill.
The second is the wrap. You press a handful around a lemongrass stalk, sealing the seam with wet fingers so the stick holds through the turn on the charcoal. Lilit means to wind or wrap — that press is the dish.
The third is the fire. Charcoal should mark the outside while the middle stays moist. Pull too early and it tastes raw; leave it too long and the lemongrass scorches before the mince is done.
Why the class beats a written method
A recipe can list the paste and the coconut. It cannot show the stickiness you need before the first wrap, or how much pressure keeps the mince on the stalk. One turn at the grill with Chef Wayan is enough to feel it. The sate lilit recipe on this site has the home quantities.
Where sate lilit sits in the Petulu class
Sate lilit is a core dish at Warung Tumang Bali, not a side demo. Guests grind the paste, mix the mince, wrap the stalks, and grill them. Morning sessions run 8:30am to about 12:30pm with the market; afternoon sessions run 2:30pm to 5:30pm and end in dinner. Groups stop at eight so everyone gets a turn at the charcoal.
Vegetarian and vegan guests can ask for a plant-based wrap; the jackfruit sate lilit recipe is the home version of that swap.
After class: keep the evening light
If you cook sate in the morning, the evening is free for the Petulu herons at dusk or a simple warung plate near your hotel. You will recognise the wrap on other menus once your hands have pressed it. Save a second big meal for another night.
Questions before you book
- Can I learn sate lilit near Ubud?
- Yes. The Petulu class with Chef Wayan includes wrapping and grilling sate lilit as part of the full meal.
- Is there a vegetarian sate lilit in the class?
- Ask when you book. A plant-based wrap is available; the jackfruit sate lilit recipe is the home version.
- What should I do after a morning sate class?
- Keep dinner light: the Petulu herons at dusk, or one warung plate near your hotel. You already ate what you grilled at lunch.
More on cooking in Bali
- Learn to make sambal matah in BaliLearn to make sambal matah in Bali by hand: paper-thin shallot and chili, hot coconut oil, and a raw bowl you finish yourself in a Petulu kitchen near Ubud.
- Balinese dishes worth learning by handWhich Balinese dishes to learn in a Bali cooking class: base genep, sate lilit, sambal matah, pepes, and dadar gulung by hand; betutu and tipat at home.
- Cooking with a Balinese stone mortarHow to use a cobek and ulekan, the Indonesian stone mortar: grind hard to soft, roll instead of pound, add salt for grip. Why Balinese cooks grind by hand.
The recipes, written down
- Sate lilitHow to make sate lilit: mix fish or chicken with fried base genep and coconut, wrap it around lemongrass, and grill. Twelve skewers from a Petulu kitchen.
- Base genepHow to make base genep (bumbu Bali): pound shallot, garlic, roots, and candlenut, then fry 8–10 minutes until the raw smell is gone. From a Petulu kitchen.
- Jackfruit sate lilitHow to make vegan sate lilit: young jackfruit, coconut, and fried base genep without shrimp paste, pressed onto lemongrass and grilled. Twelve skewers, 55 min.
- Peanut sauce for sateBalinese peanut sauce (bumbu kacang): fry peanuts, grind them with chili, garlic, and shallot, then simmer with palm sugar and sweet soy. No peanut butter.
Plan the day around it
- The Petulu herons at duskThousands of white herons fly into Petulu village near Ubud every evening. Arrive about 5pm, park by the north booth, and watch from the platform mid-village.
- Ubud at night, built around foodThings to do in Ubud at night for food lovers: cook dinner at a 2:30pm Petulu class, watch the herons roost at dusk, or keep a long warung plate near your hotel.
- Morning session or afternoon sessionChoose the 8:30am Petulu morning (market, rice walk, cooking, lunch) or the 2:30pm afternoon (rice walk, cooking, dinner). Same kitchen, pickup, and group size.
Where the kitchen is
Chef Wayan Suryana at Warung Tumang Bali, Banjar Laplapan, Petulu, Ubud, Gianyar, Bali 80571. The kitchen is about 10 minutes from central Ubud, depending on traffic. Pin -8.4945671, 115.2812928.