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Recipe

Lawar

Minced chicken or young jackfruit tossed with fried base genep, grated coconut, and fried shallot. A cooked lawar from the Petulu spice table, not a blood lawar.

By Chef Wayan Suryana, Warung Tumang BaliLast updated

Serves 4 side servings·Prep 20 minutes·Cook 20 minutes

Cook Lawar with Chef Wayan in Petulu, about 10 minutes from central Ubud, depending on traffic. Check datesHow the class runs

Lawar in short

Cooked lawar is minced chicken or young jackfruit mixed with fried base genep, fresh grated coconut, fried shallot, lime leaf, and lime. Cook the mince first, cool it until warm, then toss. It takes about 40 minutes and is eaten the same day.

Chopped long beans, grated coconut, coconut milk, and tempeh on the blue class table in Petulu, from the Petulu class where lawar is cooked
The Petulu class buffet labeled sayur urap and mushroom soup, from the Petulu class where lawar is cooked

Lawar is a Balinese mince tossed with coconut and spice paste. Ceremonial versions can include raw meat or blood. This page is the cooked bowl the Petulu kitchen can put on a class table: chicken thigh, or young jackfruit when the menu is plant-based, mixed with fried base genep and fresh grated coconut.

It is not sate lilit. The mince is tossed, not pressed onto lemongrass. It is not sayur urap. Urap is blanched vegetables in coconut. Lawar is the mince, the paste, and the coconut in one bowl.

Lawar ingredients

  • 300g boneless chicken thigh, finely minced, or 300g young jackfruit, chopped and squeezed dry
  • 3 tablespoons fried base genep
  • 80g freshly grated coconut
  • 4 shallots, sliced and fried until gold
  • 2 lime leaves, sliced into threads
  • 1 bird’s eye chili, sliced (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon lime juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon palm sugar
  • Salt
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil, if the mince needs a pan

How to make lawar

  1. If you are using chicken, cook the mince in a dry wok or with a spoon of coconut oil until it just turns opaque and the liquid cooks off. Do not brown it hard. Jackfruit should be simmered until tender, then squeezed dry.
  2. Cool the mince until it is warm, not steaming. Hot mince wilts the coconut into a paste.
  3. Fold in the fried base genep, grated coconut, fried shallot, lime leaf, chili, palm sugar, and salt.
  4. Add lime juice. Taste. Lawar should be fragrant and salty enough for rice, not wet. If it looks slack, add a little more coconut, not more oil.
  5. Serve the same day with rice and sambal. Do not keep a chicken lawar overnight.

Guests who ask for lawar at Warung Tumang Bali get this cooked mix, not a ceremonial blood lawar. The paste is the same fried base genep already on the spice table. A warung lunch in Ubud sometimes puts a spoon of lawar on the plate next to rice.

Lawar questions

Is lawar made with blood?
Ceremonial lawar can include raw meat or blood. This recipe is the cooked bowl the Petulu kitchen can serve: chicken or jackfruit, fried paste, and coconut. No blood.
What is the difference between lawar and sate lilit?
Both use mince, coconut, and base genep. Sate lilit is pressed onto lemongrass and grilled. Lawar is tossed in a bowl and served as a side.
Can lawar be vegetarian?
Yes. Use young jackfruit instead of chicken, and fry the base genep without shrimp paste.
How long does lawar keep?
Eat it the same day. A chicken lawar should not be kept overnight.

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