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How to Pretend You Are in Bali

SPEND A WEEKEND LIVING LIKE YOU'RE IN A TROPICAL PARADISE

Article by Hayley Hyer

Photography by Stock Images + Provided

Ah, beautiful Bali. If you want to do something fun and unique for your family this weekend, try making a fake vacation to Bali at home. You don't need a real beach to live like you're at one. Grab some beach towels, cook up some delicious Balinese meals, and eat outside on your patio furniture with your fam bam.

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Urab Sayur: Balinese Coconut + Vegetable Salad

"Urab sayur (also known as sayur urab, or urap sayur) is one of the traditional side dishes served with nasi campur – an assortment of dishes served with rice. I clocked this tasty Balinese salad the first time I tried it, trying to decipher its ingredients and noting it down to learn more about.

The basic ingredients are usually blanched snake beans (long green beans), bean sprouts (mung or lentil) and spinach or cabbage. The blanched vegetables are tossed with grated coconut, and a cooked sambal dressing of chilli, shallot, garlic and lime. It’s light and delicious, and perfect alongside curry."

Quite Good Food

Balinese Fish and Potato Curry (Kari Ikan)

"Once you have the ingredients in order, it’s surprisingly quick. The flavors that set this dish apart are kefir lime leaves and fresh turmeric root, blended right into the curry paste. As for fish- this is quite flexible. In Bali it was often made with swordfish, here I’ve used Alaskan Cod- but feel free to swap halibut, tilapia, sea bass, back cod or even prawns or scallops. One you have the flavorful base made, it is pretty hard to mess up."

Feasting at Home

Spicy Balinese Chicken with Cucumber-Cabbage Salad

"Spicy sambal oelek and Indonesian seasonings bring balanced heat and flavor to chicken, served with a cool cucumber-cabbage salad for a crowd-pleasing paleo meal."

Sun Basket

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Learn To Speak Balinese

"Our software centers around 24 conversational videos in a range of contexts: buying fruit at a market, going to a museum, practicing yoga, learning about organic farming in a chocolate factory, making a meal, etc. Each section starts with a video with subtitles, and then moves through a series of interactive exercises, electronic flashcards, voice recognition, grammatical notes and cultural resources (note: Our cultural section includes contributions from Chef Chris Salans of Mozaic, Rio Helmi, Made Wijaya, Joel Sherzer, Laetitia Knight and more!). Turn the subtitles off at the end when the video replays at the end of the section to see how much you can understand."

BASA Bali

Virtually Explore Bali's Culture

"The Balinese culture and Hinduism affects almost every aspect of life on the island. The unique mix between sacred Hindu-Dharma and sophisticated local customs has made Bali as special as it is today. Art masterpieces can easily be found in every corner of Bali. Bali's culture is still felt everywhere; from museums, to hotel lobbies, to sacred temples. The Balinese honor their ancestors and the spirit world, and perform religious rituals based on the ancient Balinese calendar. People wearing their ceremonial attires is a common sight.

The majestic musical performances and traditional dance shows have also become one of the must-do's in Bali - for very good reasons. In all the ceremonies held during special days in Bali, Gamelan (Bali's traditional music) and local dances will be one of the most important element in order to get connected with Gods, deities, and ancestors as a way to honor their role in the cosmos."

Bali.com

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