Green Coconut organic restaurant, Lipah Bay, Bali

 

Very happy to find this restaurant at Lipah Bay, near Coral View Villa, not just it serves organic food (veg, fish, red rice) and the dishes are delicious, also because they use a lot of local ingredients like moringa leaves and star fruit leaves freshly cut from the garden after placing the order.  

Moringa leaves soup

Moringa leaves soup, locals have this soup everyday, generally believed to be good for health. 

Moringa tree

There are star fruit trees in Hong Kong but it is my first time to eat the leaves, never heard that the leaves are edible. Cooked in a thick curry, the leaves have good texture like kale.

star fruit leaves and fish curry

Fish satay (Lillit), fish meat mixed with sambal sauce and freshly grated coconut, tasty and no need peanut sauce. 

fish satay

Lipah Bay, East Bali

A short boat ride away is Coral Garden and Japanese ship wreck sites, both great snorkeling areas. 

Ship wreck

squid

garfish

rockfish

batfish

Snorkeling at Lipah Bay, Bali

Lipah Bay, East Bali

I am very happy to have chosen to stay in Lipah Bay, on the east coast of Bali, below Amed. It is one of three good bays on the east coast for snorkeling, this one is away from the overdeveloped Amed area. 

Lipah Bay, East Bali

The hotel is right in the middle of the bay and a few steps away from the sandy beach, with coral reef on both the left and right sides of the bay. 

Coral View Villa, Lipah Bay, East Bali

open bathroom at Coral View Villa, Lipah Bay, East Bali

There is a good restaurant with sea view next to the hotel that has a small menu of well made local dishes and pizza. 

satay

The water is very calm and fish plentiful, really like swimming in an aquarium. 

snorkeling at Lipah Bay, East Bali

Delicious local food, Bali

After 2 most frustrating dinners eating bland Indonesian meals at Sidemen, finally by asking around and with the help of the driver,  found some good local restaurants that have real Balinese flavor. 

fish set meal

Fish set meal near the Bat Cave temple at Goa Lawah, fish meat-balls in a spicy fish broth, 2 types of fish satays, and fish cooked in banana leaves.

goat set meal

 

Goat set meal at Warung Bali Satia at Kusamba village, goat satay with rich peanut sauce, goat tripe and brisket soup with rich cinnamon spice broth, and goat skin and bean salad, really delicious and very satisfying. 

goat skin and bean salad

Terrace fields, Bali

terrace fields

 

Terrace fields are so pretty to look at, here in Sidemen they are located at the foot hill of Mt Agung, one of the active volcano and highest mountain in Bali. 

rice paddies

Sidemen practices rotation planting, because of shortage of water, of half year flooding the terrace to grow rice, and the other half growing cash crops like peanut with chili. 

rice paddies

Chili is an expensive vegetable here, and is easily affected by weeds, so farmers grow peanuts on the outside of the raise bed, to fix nitrogen in the roots and protect chili that are growing in the middle. Rice stalks are use to mulch the bed. 

peanut and chili

Coffee Luwak, Bali

civet cat caged during the day

 

A famous coffee using civet cats to eat (collect) the most ripe coffee fruits, then collect the beans that passed through the digestive system intact. 

mix plantation

This little farm is a mix plantation of coffee, cocoa, vanilla, turmeric, cinnamon, ginseng and many other spices and flower plants. 

mix plantation

There are a few civet cats that are free to roam in the farm at night, and will come back to the cage (voluntarily with fruits) during the day to rest. 

Luwak coffee bean

washed coffee bean

 

Staff will go round everyday to pick up their droppings, dry in the sun for a couple of days to ferment, then wash, remove skins, roast and pound into coarse Luwak coffee powder, all by hand. 

roasting Luwak coffee bean

pounding Luwak coffee bean

Luwak coffee is less bitter than normal coffee, has a nice sour fruity taste, is pleasant to drink, a good novelty. 

brewing Luwak coffee

Visiting local market and garden in Bali

It is enjoyable to see and learn new things by visiting market and garden with knowledgeable chef or locals. Here are some examples:

Gonde

This vegetable known as Gonde looks like tender water spinach, but is a weed growing in the rice-paddies. What a pleasure to eat your enemy. 

Moringa

I heard a lot recently about this latest 'super -food' Moringa, finally saw it in the market and in the garden. It is actually the young shoots of a tree, they have to prune the tree very regularly.  Locals use to serve it in soup.  

Moringa tree

A type of ginger called Kencur here, or sand ginger in China with its unique aroma. It does not grow stem but only big leaves on the ground.

sand ginger leaves

Ginseng, my first time to see this plant, growing fast and well here, can harvest young root in 2 years. 

ginseng plant

A taste of Bali

Mt Agung

It is a good way to know the cuisine and to meet people by joining a cooking class. This one at Restaurant Bali Asli has a good view of Mt Agung, with terrace fields of rice and vegetable crops in front, and a very enthusiastic and knowledgeable chef.

Jamur

A local drink to start the day off is Jamur, made with turmeric and ginger boiled in water, seasoned with lime juice and honey, indeed refreshing.

Nasi Goreng

mix veg salad

A lot of spices go into making local dishes, like ginger, galangal, sand ginger, shrimp paste, shallot, chili, lime etc. Always pleasant to learn little cooking tips and tricks. The dishes are delicious, however, not really oozing with characteristic, memorable flavor. 

chicken sate and fish cooked in banana leaf