Recipe
Base genep: pound the complete paste, then fry it
Check dates to cook this with Chef Wayan in Petulu.
IDR 450.000per guest, shared class
Bali’s base spice paste, also called bumbu Bali: shallot, garlic, galangal, turmeric, ginger, kencur, and candlenut, pounded, then fried to season the whole meal.
By Chef Wayan Suryana, Warung Tumang BaliLast updated First published
Serves About 1 cup of paste·Prep 25 minutes·Cook 10 minutes
Base genep in short
Base genep is the Balinese base spice paste, also called bumbu Bali. Pound shallot, garlic, candlenut, galangal, turmeric, ginger, kencur, lemongrass, lime leaf, chili, and spices, then fry 8–10 minutes until the raw smell is gone. Salt it after frying. The kitchen is Warung Tumang Bali in Petulu, Bali 80571.
Genep means complete: roots, aromatics, and spices in one grind. Mix it raw, then fry it in coconut oil until the moisture cooks off and it smells sweet rather than harsh. That fried paste seasons sate, pepes, and the vegetables around them.
Candlenut must be cooked. Do not taste the raw grind. Shrimp paste is part of the classic mix; leave it out when the table is vegetarian or vegan, which the same kitchen does on request.
Base genep ingredients
- 8 shallots, roughly chopped
- 6 garlic cloves
- 3 candlenuts
- A thumb of galangal, sliced
- A thumb of fresh turmeric
- A thumb of ginger
- A thumb of kencur (aromatic ginger), if available
- 2 lemongrass stalks, chopped
- 4 lime leaves
- 4 bird’s eye chilies
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon shrimp paste (omit for vegetarian and vegan)
- 1 teaspoon chopped palm sugar
- Salt
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil, for frying the paste
How to make base genep
- Pound or blend everything except the coconut oil into a rough paste. A stone mortar gives a coarser, better texture than a smooth puree. Add a splash of water only if the blades stall.
- Warm the coconut oil in a wok over medium heat. Add the paste and fry, stirring, until the raw smell disappears, the color deepens, and the oil starts to separate at the edges. This usually takes 8–10 minutes.
- Salt it once the paste has fried. Raw salt on an uncooked grind will taste different after the water cooks off.
- Cool what you will not use today. The fried paste keeps in a covered jar in the fridge for several days, under a thin film of the cooking oil.
This is the paste Chef Wayan Suryana has guests grind before anything else goes into the wok. The same fried paste seasons kare ayam, pergedel jagung, and sup jamur. The plant-based class skips the shrimp paste and keeps the rest of the roots. The bowls laid out before the grind are a lesson of their own: how to read a Balinese spice table.
Base genep questions
- Is base genep the same as bumbu Bali?
- Yes. Base genep is the complete paste. Bumbu Bali is the Indonesian name people search. Fry it before it seasons sate, lawar, kare, or pepes.
- What is in Balinese bumbu base?
- Shallot, garlic, candlenut, galangal, turmeric, ginger, kencur, lemongrass, lime leaf, chili, and spices. Fry it in coconut oil before it seasons food.
- Why do you fry base genep?
- Raw paste tastes harsh, and the candlenut in it must be cooked. Frying in coconut oil drives off the water and turns the paste sweet and fragrant.
- How long does fried base genep keep?
- Several days in a covered jar in the fridge, under a thin film of its cooking oil.
- Can base genep be vegetarian or vegan?
- Yes. Leave out the shrimp paste and keep the rest of the roots. The Petulu kitchen grinds it that way on request.
- Can I grind base genep in Petulu?
- Yes. Chef Wayan Suryana has guests grind this paste first at Warung Tumang Bali, Banjar Laplapan, Petulu, about 10 minutes from central Ubud, depending on traffic. Check dates here, then WhatsApp or email this site.
Cook next from the same kitchen
- LawarHow to make cooked Balinese lawar: minced chicken or jackfruit tossed with fried base genep, grated coconut, and fried shallot. Four servings, about 40 minutes.
- Ayam betutuHow to make ayam betutu: a whole chicken stuffed with fried base genep, wrapped in banana leaf, and steamed or baked for about 3 hours until the meat gives.
- Kare ayamHow to make Balinese kare ayam: bone-in chicken simmered in fried base genep, coconut milk, lemongrass, and lime leaf. No curry powder, about an hour.
Learn it by hand in Bali
- 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.
- Balinese ingredients and what to use insteadBalinese ingredient substitutes: kencur, candlenut, salam leaf, palm sugar, shrimp paste, and fresh turmeric. What each one does and the closest swap at home.
- 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.
Plan the food day around this dish
- Where the spice table sits on a food dayHow to read a Balinese spice table: chili, shallot, garlic, turmeric and roots, coconut, lime leaf, banana leaf, and what changes when the menu is plant-based.
- A half-day food itinerary from central UbudA half-day Ubud food plan: dawn market, Petulu rice-field walk, kitchen lunch by 12:30pm. One village kitchen in Bali 80571, not a 48-hour restaurant list.