Bali Lover – Experience an Exotic Balinese Cuisine in Amsterdam with Enak Sekali Catering

This is a guest post for our Bali Lover series, from a charming balinese lady, Ni Luh Dian Eka Suryani whom I’ve known since 12 years ago, an ex-colleague whose life is inspirational and admirable. She lives currently in Amsterdam with two beautiful sons and a stunning photographer husband, Steven van Noort.  Instead of writing an ordinary restaurant review, I would like to introduce you to a very interesting culinary experience of Bali, especially for those of you residing in Amsterdam, Netherlands. A taste to the exotic Balinese Cuisine you have never been to…

Sate Ajam ? Atjar Tjampoer ? Babi Panggang ? If you’ve been to the Netherlands, you will be surprised by the popularity of Indonesian cuisine here. There are many Indonesian restaurants scattered in major cities from Amsterdam, Den Haag to the small town of Breda . But have you ever tried Balinese Mixed Rice ? I don’t think so.

First, I would like to thank Bali Culinary blogger : Gaby ‘Bee’ Risanto, such an honor to be given the opportunity to share the story of Balinese culinary I do here, from thousand miles of my home island, Bali, Indonesia.

My name is Ni Luh  Dian Eka Suryani, born and grew up in Bali and have been living and settled in the city of Amsterdam since 2003. I’m  a mother of two boys , Mark Gede and Kadek Steef and enjoy our daily activities in this beautiful city . Since I stopped working for Dutch Post Office PostNL  a year ago , I decided to create my own business which is also my biggest passion : cooking ! June 17th, 2013  marked a new beginning in my cooking career to explore the world of culinary professionals when I registered my business at the Dutch Chamber of Commerce : Catering Enak Sekali ! A catering specializing in fine Balinese cuisine! Why Balinese cuisine ? Bali is undeniable world-wide known as a tourism destination, but perhaps not a culinary one, just yet! Taking this challenge was a great opportunity for me, as a balinese woman, to make my local cuisine become more popular in the Netherlands.

My first and most wanted menu  is a blend of steamed white rice , Be Siap Base Kalas, Jukut Urab, Sate Babi  Lalah Manis, Tempe Manis, Taluh Mebase Tomat, Kacang Tanah Goreng and Sambal Goreng Matah (balinese authentic hot chili paste). It’s always been my clients’ favorite till now! This combo menu is a result of almost 6 years of research, trial and errors, passed the test by many family gathering’s party I had hosted in the past, with high praise notes making me more confident about presenting this food in another level, and ultimately had been a cooking journey of my life.

Catering Enak Sekali signature menu: Balinese Mixed Rice – Nasi Campur

Among the most popular dishes from Enak Sekali Catering : Be Siap Base Kalas with a savory sauce of coconut milk, Jukut ( Vegetable ) Urab that I created with a simple seasoning of fresh grated roasted coconut, Tempe Manis – got the recipe from my mom back in my home town of Denpasar while watching her cooking and waiting for my turn to wash the dishes, Taluh Mebase Tomat with lots of lime and terasi (shrimp paste),  delectable Sate Babi Lalah Manis ! Not to forget one of the Balinese famous hot chili sauce: Sambal Matah and the fried peanuts. I like to explain to my native Dutch customers, that the Balinese Nasi Campur is served with no kroepoek (shrimp crackers) like in many Indonesian favorites, we use fried peanuts instead. Another important element on my signature Balinese Mixed Rice if the use of brown rice because of its vitamins richness. Balinese cuisine is deliciously and exotically distinguished!…

With a high consciousness of being an environment friendly brand, from the beginning I always use eco friendly products for food wrapping, recyclable paper for food boxes and bags instead of plastics, banana leaves for cakes wrapping. I only use a very minimum number of disposable plastic packaging. Just thought that even a small contribution towards a cooler earth worthwhile..

Lemper Ayam – Catering Enak Sekali

The sweet balinese snack Pisang Rai – Catering Enak Sekali

In order to introduce  Balinese culinary in Netherlands more effectively, some traditional authentic handmade stoves called Gerabah had been imported. Different from the usual caterer using chaffing dish to serve and heat the food, I chose pottery / clay for this purpose. It wasn’t  cheap nor easy to bring them here, but I just wanted to do it all out. I want to take you  on a journey to the past, a look  back to the real and original taste of Indonesia/Balinese cuisine…

Photos by Steven van Noort Photography: www.stevenvannoort.nl

For a taste of exotic Balinese cuisine in the Netherlands on your special occasion or party, please contact:

Catering Enak Sekali
Contact Person : Dian
Baron G.A Tindalplein 23
1019TW Amsterdam
Tel : +31 6 53 60 8009
www.enaksekali.nl

Twitter : @dianekasuryani
Facebook : www.facebook.com/CateringEnakSekali

All photos here are copyrighted materials and may not be downloaded or reproduced in any manner without written permission of the author. Please contact Mrs Dian for inquiry.