Tjok Maya Kerthyasa - Paon: Real Balinese Cooking

Maya

Thank you Anak Agung Rai, my niang, for being the main source of inspiration behind these pages. And to my late grandfather, Tjokorda Ngurah, for bestowing your knowledge from above.

To my mother and father, Tjokorda Raka and Asri Kerthyasa, thank you for raising me so gracefully between two worlds. And to my wonderful brothers, Tjok Gde and Tjok Bagus, for supporting me endlessly throughout the process of making this book.

To Jero Mangku Gede Yudiawan, Kentri Norberg, Nyoman Darti and Keplus, thank you for sharing your kitchens and your cooking with us.

This book wouldnt exist without the encouragement, mentorship and support of my former editors Pat Nourse and Anthea Loucas. Pat and Ant, you are like family to me. I am extremely grateful for everything.

Jane Adams, Mila Shwaiko, Pete Keen, Will Goldfarb and Kim Herben your friendship and guidance has been invaluable. Thank you. I would also like to salute I Made Pung, Ida Bagus Gangga and I Komang Latra for the knowledge you shared that made its way into the pages of this book.

Patricia Gillespie, thank you for sending me kisses and hugs from afar when I needed them.

Ronald Akili and the Potato Head family, your support has meant the world to us which leads me to my collaborator, Wayan Kresna Yasa. Thank you for joining forces with me and imparting your stories, recipes and experiences into the pages of this book. Mary Kresna Yasa, thanks for being an integral part of our journey.

Thank you Martin Westlake for your beautiful images and for joining us on our adventures. Jane Willson and Anna Collett, I express my deepest gratitude for believing in Paon and giving us a platform to share our love of Balinese cooking with the world. Helena Holmgren and George Saad thank you for all the work youve done to bring this book to life.

My dear Lucas, you inspire me to record everything I have learnt for the generations to come. May you grow to become a true custodian of this planet through your culture.

And to the invisible powers that drove the creation of Paon the elements, the spirit guardians, the whispers from the Universe I humbly give thanks for being granted your permission to communicate this information, which at its essence is divine wisdom bestowed upon us by you.

Wayan

Paon would not be possible without the endless support and encouragement from my family. Thank you to my wife, Mary Kresna Yasa, who always has my back and loves me in that steadfast, soulmate kind of way. It is you who taught me that life can be limitless and dreams are only dreams until we wake up. To my father and mother, thank you for bringing me into this world and letting me do what I love to do. My work ethic and camaraderie with the land and sea are from you. Janet Whittington, the best mother-in-law, the one whose confidence in me does not waver, I am honoured to be your new strong son.

To Maya Kerthyasa, thank you for your true passion to champion Balinese cuisine on the global stage, and for being the first to propose we write a dedicated book on it. We did it!

Thanks to Hardie Grant for the opportunity to bring Paon to life. To the entire team that helped make it happen: Jane Willson, Anna Collett, Helena Holmgren, George Saad and Martin Westlake, thank you for believing in us and making it beautiful.

My heartfelt gratitude goes out to all of the chefs who have, in one way or another, helped to make Paon possible: Dan Barber, for teaching me that flavour begins before any seed is planted; Will Goldfarb, for believing in me and bringing me back to Bali; Daryl Wonoraharjo, the loyal wingman who promises, gue amanin (Im on top of it); Oka Widiasa, who guides me and teaches me about real Balinese cuisine; and Antoine Audran, the first chef to truly inspire me to explore Indonesian flavours, despite the fact that he himself was born in France!

To Ronald Akili and the Potato Head team my dream when I became a chef was to bring Balinese and Indonesian cuisine to the far reaches of the world. You all, more than anybody or anything else, are the reasons this dream has been realised, beginning the moment you invited me to join the Kaum opening team. Lets keep shining that Indonesian light.

Big thanks to Jed Doble, one of the first in the local F&B scene to publicly recognise my work. Move over, Michelin and James Beard, nothing means more to me than being named 2018 Foodies Magazine Chef of the Year Bali! To my dear friend Billie Mintz, seeing myself through your eyes is a salve to my soul. Thank you for your vision, brother.

To Chef Yudhi at Dapur Bali Mula, and to all of the Balinese chefs, home cooks and priests keeping Balinese food heritage and culture alive for future generations: Matur suksma. It is because of you all that we still have stories to tell.

Tjok Maya Kerthyasa is an Indonesian-Australian writer living in Ubud, Bali. She spent just under a decade in Sydney writing for Australian Gourmet Traveller magazine before moving home to Bali to reconnect with her family and her motherland. Since returning home, Maya has hosted culinary-based events, starred in an Indonesian food-based web series called Masakan Rumah and spoken about Balinese cooking for various media platforms. Maya is documenting her grandmothers recipes to share with the next generation of Balinese cooks and food lovers from other parts of the world. Her mission is to see the cuisine better understood and celebrated on a global level.

I Wayan Kresna Yasa is a Balinese chef born on the island of Nusa Penida, off Balis east coast. He trained and worked in the US for six years, cooking at the likes of Acadia in Chicago and New Yorks Blue Hill Stone Barns. In Bali, he is known for the deftness of his cooking, his deep respect for the environment and his drive to put the flavours of his home on the global culinary map. He helped launch Room4Dessert with chef-owner Will Goldfarb, before transitioning to the Indonesian lifestyle and hospitality group Potato Head. Wayan is now global executive chef and culinary director for the Potato Head family. He opened Ijen the groups rst zero-waste sustainable seafood restaurant and Kaum, which is known for its revival of rare tribal recipes from across the archipelago. His most recent venture is plant-based restaurant Tanaman, which was listed as one of the best new restaurants in the world in Cond Nast Travellers June 2020 issue.

Theres no such thing as a slow morning in the paon. There are fires to light, birds to butcher and enough rice needs to be steamed to feed the family for the day. Coconuts are hacked, grated and squeezed into coconut milk and cooking oil. And, most importantly, there are spices to pound.

Base (spice) pronounced bah-surr is the backbone of Balinese cooking. Turmeric, black and white peppercorns, chillies, garlic, red (Asian) shallots, coriander seeds and various strains of ginger and galangal lend their aroma, colour and heat to most of the islands traditional dishes. They come together in a variety of pastes always made from fresh ingredients and pounded in a stone batu base (mortar and pestle). Theres or simply sliced and tossed through sautes and stir-fries.