Thread: Top Spicy Food in Bali

Is there a certain item listed from these places that are supposed to be extra spicy?

I really like REALLY spicy food, and I think it's pretty safe to say that just about every warung in Bali will serve you something fairly spicy.

I really like REALLY spicy food, and I think it's pretty safe to say that just about every warung in Bali will serve you something fairly spicy.

True about the real warungs. Not sure about the rest.

Balinese "cuisine" hasn't exactly struck lightning in the gastronomic universe, so far. What is the most famous dish? Babi Guling? Smoked duck?

Finding "real" Balinese food is still a bit of a challenge, (for tourists). I would suggest walking into any Balinese village, at random, striking up a conversation and admitting that you know nothing, (about "Bali"). And move on from there. Without prior warning, they may not have any duck or pig dishes. But for sure, you'll be on the right track to sample what they eat on a daily basis.

Failing that, grow your own chilis. Add some that Balinese don't know about. For example: Habaneros or some Naga Jelokias, (the hottest chili ever, so far). If you can eat them with a straight face, the village might build a monument, just for you.

Balinese can only "cook" what they're used to. Very little, if any, experimentation. No pushing of the envelopes. In other words, unexciting. Maybe their version of Hinduism gets in the way. Caged mental tigers, perhaps.

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True, about the Balinese cuisine. Babi Guling is definitely one of my favorites and beyond that and some lawar, I usually just eat at the Javanese warungs, as there is much more variety and it is usually tastier. There are a select few Bali warungs that I really like, but I'm a pretty good distance away from anything touristy, just little hole in the wall places that do good dishes.

One thing is constant everywhere though, sambal, although it's not spicy enough for my taste everywhere that I go, which just means use more.

The first lawar I had was back in the 1970s. In those days it was basically a "mystery-dish" for me, drenched in raw pig's blood. Tasted OK if you didn't think about it too much.

I lived in Java for a while. A lot of "Javanese" food was too sweet for my palette.

....just little hole in the wall places that do good dishes...

They are usually the best and "authentic". Not always the most hygienic, of course.

Reminds me of a European couple having dinner in a Toya-Bungkah (Batur) "restaurant". There was a cockroach in their nasi goreng. Shock, horror. I asked them if it cost more for the extra protein? Not sure if they got the joke, (or point).

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