Bumbu Bali - Balinese Spice Paste (Base Genep)

Grinding the bumbu bali spices into a paste.

Bumbu Bali - Balinese Spice Paste (Base Genep)

A magic 10 minute spice blend known as Bumbu Bali (Base Genep). This Balinese spice paste is filled with freshly ground herbs and spices for the perfect base to your favourite Indonesian dishes like Nasi Goreng and Sate Lilit.

Course Condiment

Cuisine Indonesian

Prep Time 10

Total Time 10

Servings spice paste

Calories 270kcal

Author Wandercooks

Cost $10

Equipment

Mortar and Pestle

Ingredients

8 tsp garlic
5 tsp ginger sub with 3cm greater galangal (kencur) and 2cm lesser galangal if you can source
5 shallots chopped
3 candlenuts chopped, sub with macadamia nuts or hazelnuts
3 chillis change to suit your preferred heat level
1 tsp turmeric powder sub with 1 cm fresh turmeric
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 - 2 pinches shrimp paste known as terasi or belacan

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Using a mortar & pestle (or a cobek & ulakan):

Pop everything (garlic, ginger, shallots, candlenuts, chilli, turmeric powder, salt, ground coriander, peppercorns, cloves, nutmeg and shrimp paste) onto the flat base of the ulakan or into your mortar and grind away with your pestle/cobek. You shouldn't need to push or grind with too much effort, just let the weight of the pestle/cobek work its magic on your ingredients. Continue to blend until your fresh ingredients have combined into a paste.
8 tsp garlic, 5 tsp ginger, 5 shallots, 3 candlenuts, 3 chillis, 1 tsp turmeric powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp black peppercorns, 1 tsp cloves, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1 - 2 pinches shrimp paste

Using a food processor:

Place everything (garlic, ginger, shallots, candlenuts, chilli, turmeric powder, salt, ground coriander, peppercorns, cloves, nutmeg and shrimp paste) into the food processor and blend until well combined. It's up to you whether you blend into a smooth paste or not. If needed, you can add a little water or oil to stop the ingredients sticking to the edges and get a nice smooth consistency.
8 tsp garlic, 5 tsp ginger, 5 shallots, 3 candlenuts, 3 chillis, 1 tsp turmeric powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp black peppercorns, 1 tsp cloves, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1 - 2 pinches shrimp paste

Notes

Blend - Use a blender to have this whipped up in minutes.
Storage - Store the spice paste in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or freeze in an airtight container for 1-2 months. Any longer and the paste would start to lose its flavour and freshness.
Ratio - Use 1 tbsp of spice paste for every 100g / 3.5oz of meat (chicken, pork etc) unless otherwise specified.
Fry the Paste - For an extra aromatic kick, fry the paste with 1-2 tbsp of vegetable and 2 bay leaves (salam leaves) for a couple of minutes on high. Then transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge once cooled.
Candlenut - We've found these at our local Asian grocery here in Australia, but if you have trouble sourcing them you can substitute with macadamias. The texture will be similar but the taste isn't quite the same. Still, they'll do the job nicely.
Ginger - While we've used fresh ginger today, traditionally, lesser galangal and kencur (greater galangal) are used in this recipe. They are both similar in appearance to fresh ginger and turmeric, and we've found lesser galangal at our local Asian grocery but not fresh kencur (greater galangal). If you can source these, use them instead of ginger.
Shrimp paste - Sometimes labelled belacan or terasi, this is a must have ingredient in Southeast Asian cuisine. While you can find terasi (as it's known in Indonesia) or belacan (as it's known in Malaysia) in wet or dry pastes, it's the dry variety that you'll most often find in Indonesian cuisine. Made from dried shrimp that's been mixed with salt and fermented for several weeks, terasi is usually sliced and sold in small blocks. The smell is... pungent, but when used in small doses it provides an umami kick to your edible creations! Your best bet for terasi is to source from an Asian grocery or online.
Wewangen Spices - This is usually a mix of peppercorn, coriander seeds and nutmeg. We've separated them in our recipe below, as it's hard to find them in a pack outside of Indonesia.

Nutrition