Maritime Southeast Asia · Volume 47, The Odalan Calendar, the Base Genep and the Island That Kept Its Pig
Rujak bulung
Denpasar, Sanur and Gianyar's coastal edge
Illustration
- Time
- 30 minutes
Rujak bulung is genuinely regional rather than pan-Balinese, associated specifically with Denpasar, Sanur and Gianyar's coastal edge, where seaweed is farmed and eaten as ordinary market food. At least three named varieties are used, Bulung Boni, Bulung Rambut Ijo (green hair seaweed) and Bulung Rambut Putih (white hair seaweed), distinct in texture as well as name. The dressing is built on hot pindang, a spiced Balinese fish stock, rather than a cold dressing, which is the dish's real technical point of interest.
As tradition built it
Serves 4. 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- 300g fresh seaweed (bulung), cleaned
- 500ml pindang broth (fish stock spiced with turmeric, ginger, lemongrass and daun salam)
- 2 bird's eye chillies
- 1 tsp terasi, toasted
- 1 tbsp palm sugar
- 2 limes, juiced, or a little tamarind water
- a little of each, optional grated coconut and grated galangal, to finish (optional)
Method
- Bring the pindang broth to a simmer.
- Pound the chilli, toasted terasi, palm sugar and lime juice together into a rough paste.
- Toss the cleaned seaweed with the hot broth and the pounded dressing together, so the seaweed wilts slightly and takes on the broth's heat and spice.
- Finish with a little grated coconut and grated galangal if using, and serve immediately.
What a modern chef changes
A concentrated broth and a crisp textural counterpoint
Method
- Reduce the pindang broth by half and pass it through a chinois, for a cleaner, more concentrated dressing than the traditional straight simmer.
- Dehydrate a small portion of the seaweed separately at 45°C until brittle, then crumble it over the finished dish as a crisp textural contrast to the wilted, hot-dressed seaweed beneath.