Discover the Flavors of Bali: Authentic Balinese Chicken (Ayam Bumbu Bali) Recipe
Embark on a culinary journey to the enchanting island of Bali with this exquisite Balinese Chicken recipe, known locally as Ayam Bumbu Bali. This dish features incredibly tender chicken, generously coated and stewed in a rich, aromatic blend of traditional Asian spices – the legendary ‘bumbu’. Originating from the heart of Indonesian cuisine, this recipe is not just SO tasty, but surprisingly easy to prepare, transforming simple ingredients into a complex symphony of flavors. The delightful aroma that fills your kitchen as it simmers is just a prelude to the incredible taste experience awaiting you. Ayam Bumbu Bali truly stands out as one of the most flavourful and satisfying chicken dishes you’ll ever encounter!
Balinese Chicken: A Culinary Gem from Indonesia
Indonesian cuisine is renowned worldwide for its incredible diversity and depth of flavor, boasting a vast array of delicious recipes. I fondly recall the delightful memories from my younger days, when my neighbor would prepare the most fantastic Indonesian dishes. Her kitchen always exuded wonderful, spicy aromas that would instantly transport you. This Ayam Bumbu Bali recipe perfectly captures that essence and spirit.
The name itself, “Ayam Bumbu Bali,” is quite descriptive. “Ayam” (or “Ajam” in older spellings) simply means chicken. “Bumbu Bali,” therefore, translates to “spice mixture from Bali.” This ‘bumbu’ is the heart and soul of the dish – a fragrant paste meticulously crafted from fresh herbs and spices, which you can easily prepare yourself. While pre-made spice pastes are available, making your own bumbu from scratch guarantees a much fresher, more vibrant, and ultimately tastier result. And don’t be intimidated; it’s surprisingly simple to master!
This succulent Balinese Chicken is an incredibly versatile dish. It pairs beautifully with a steaming bowl of fluffy white rice and a crisp, refreshing salad, offering a balanced and satisfying meal. Alternatively, it can be a star component of a grand “rice table” (rijsttafel), a traditional Indonesian feast featuring multiple small dishes. Its tender texture and complex, savory-sweet-spicy profile make it a crowd-plepleasing favorite that truly showcases the rich culinary heritage of Bali.
Essential Ingredients for Authentic Balinese Chicken (Ayam Bumbu Bali)
To recreate this authentic Balinese Chicken with its distinctive Indonesian flavoring, you’ll need a selection of fresh and aromatic ingredients. The precise quantities for each component are conveniently listed in the detailed recipe card at the bottom of this page. Here’s a closer look at what makes this dish so special:
- Chicken: For convenience and ease of preparation, boneless chicken breast is often recommended as it cooks evenly and quickly. However, you can also opt for chicken tenderloins, which work wonderfully in this recipe for their tenderness. If you prefer a richer flavor and moist texture, bone-in chicken thighs or drumsticks can also be used; just be sure to adjust cooking times accordingly to ensure the chicken is cooked through and easily falls off the bone.
- Tomatoes: Fresh tomatoes are crucial for this dish, as they contribute a lovely tang and natural sweetness to the rich sauce, helping to balance the bold spices of the bumbu. They also add a subtle depth and a beautiful reddish hue to the final dish.
- Kecap Manis: This is a distinctive sweet Indonesian soy sauce, characterized by its thick, syrupy consistency and dark, almost black color. It imparts a unique sweet-savory, umami flavor that is absolutely essential to Indonesian cuisine. Kecap Manis is readily available in the Asian aisle of most supermarkets or at specialty Asian grocery stores.
- Spices for Ayam Bumbu Bali (The Bumbu Base): Spices are the very foundation of Indonesian cooking, and this recipe is no exception. The core of the bumbu relies on three fundamental aromatics:
- Shallots: Offering a milder, sweeter flavor than onions, shallots provide a delicate base for the spice paste.
- Garlic: Pungent and indispensable, garlic adds a robust, savory kick.
- Ginger: Fresh ginger provides a warm, spicy, and slightly peppery note, essential for the authentic taste.
In addition to this powerful base, we incorporate several other key spices to build the complex layers of flavor.
- Laos (Galangal): Often mistaken for ginger, galangal is its distinct cousin, possessing a sharper, more citrusy, and slightly piney flavor profile with hints of pepper. It’s an irreplaceable component in many Southeast Asian dishes. If fresh galangal is unavailable, you can use galangal powder. A good substitution for fresh galangal would be galangal powder combined with a tiny pinch (â…› teaspoon) of lemongrass powder or fresh lemongrass if you have it.
- Coconut Grate (Desiccated Coconut): Added primarily to thicken the rich sauce, coconut grate also infuses the dish with a subtle, creamy coconut flavor and a pleasant texture. It contributes to the overall richness and authenticity of the Balinese sauce.
- Cumin: Known as “Djinten” in Indonesian, cumin provides a warm, earthy, and slightly sweet flavor. It’s a foundational spice that adds depth and aroma.
- Coriander: Fresh and lemony, ground coriander adds a bright, slightly sweet, and citrusy note to the spice paste. For those who find fresh coriander leaves taste like soap (due to a genetic predisposition), rest assured that ground coriander has a different, milder flavor profile. If you truly dislike it, you can omit it, but it does add a lovely complexity.
- Trassi (Shrimp Paste): A highly potent and commonly used ingredient in Indonesian cuisine, trassi is a fermented shrimp paste that delivers an incredible depth of umami flavor. Its strong aroma mellows considerably during cooking, transforming into a rich, savory essence. If trassi is hard to find, you can substitute it with two teaspoons of white miso paste or two teaspoons of good quality fish sauce, though the flavor profile will be slightly altered but still delicious.
- Palm Sugar (Gula Djawa): This distinctive sugar is extracted from the sap of palm trees. The sap is boiled down until it reaches a characteristic brown color, then poured into molds to harden. Palm sugar boasts a unique caramel-like, subtly smoky, and slightly salty taste, far more complex than regular brown sugar. You can typically find this authentic ingredient at Asian supermarkets or online.
- Tamarind Paste: A thick paste made from tamarind fruits, it offers a wonderfully fresh, sweet-and-sour tang that brightens the entire dish and cuts through the richness of the other ingredients. This, too, is a staple in Asian cooking and can be found at Asian grocery stores.
- Salam Leaf (Indonesian Bay Leaf): Often found dried, sometimes fresh or frozen, at Asian supermarkets, the salam leaf (or Indonesian bay leaf) imparts a subtle, unique aroma that is distinct from Western bay leaves. It contributes a gentle, woody, and slightly savory note to the stew.
- Lemongrass: The fragrant stalks of lemongrass are bruised to release their essential oils, lending a bright, lemony, and herbaceous aroma and flavor to the dish. It’s a signature component of many Southeast Asian curries and stews.
How to Prepare Ayam Bumbu Bali: A Step-by-Step Guide
Creating this flavorful Ayam Bumbu Bali is a rewarding experience. For your convenience, a printable recipe card with a detailed step-by-step description and exact measurements is available at the bottom of this blog post. Follow these instructions to bring the authentic taste of Bali to your table:
- Prepare the Chicken and Bumbu: Begin by heating some sunflower oil in a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add your chicken cubes and fry them until they are beautifully golden brown on all sides. This initial searing step is crucial, as it locks in the chicken’s juices, ensuring a tender and flavorful final product. The chicken doesn’t need to be fully cooked through at this stage. Once browned, remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and set it aside. Briefly clean your wok. Now, for the bumbu: roughly chop the red chili pepper, shallots, garlic, and ginger. Combine these with the galangal powder, ground coriander, ground cumin, tamarind paste, and shrimp paste in a food processor. Pulse the mixture until you achieve an almost smooth spice paste. It’s perfectly fine if the bumbu retains a little texture – a completely smooth paste isn’t necessary, but avoid large, unblended chunks for a consistent flavor. If you don’t have a food processor, a mortar and pestle will work beautifully, or simply finely mince all ingredients by hand.
- Bloom the Bumbu: Return the wok to medium heat and add the remaining two tablespoons of oil. Once hot, add the freshly prepared bumbu to the pan. Sauté the bumbu for approximately 3 minutes, stirring constantly. This “blooming” process is vital; it gently cooks the spices, releasing their full aromatic potential and deepening their flavors. Your kitchen will start smelling incredible at this stage! Next, add the diced tomatoes, kecap manis, palm sugar, salam leaves, and bruised lemongrass to the wok. Continue to fry for another five minutes, allowing all the ingredients to meld and the palm sugar to dissolve, creating a rich, fragrant sauce base.
- Combine Chicken with Bumbu: Now, reintroduce the previously browned chicken pieces to the pan, stirring them thoroughly into the rich bumbu. Allow the chicken to fry in the spice mixture for another five minutes. This step ensures that every piece of chicken is well-coated and begins to absorb the incredible flavors of the Balinese sauce, setting the stage for tender perfection.
- Simmer to Perfection: Finally, pour in the water and add the coconut grate to the pan. Stir everything together well and bring the mixture to a gentle boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a low simmer, cover the pan, and let the Balinese Chicken stew for approximately 30 minutes. This slow simmering process allows the chicken to become incredibly tender and fully absorb the complex flavors of the bumbu, while the sauce thickens into a luxurious consistency. Once the simmering is complete, remember to remove the lemongrass stalks and salam leaves before serving, as they are for flavoring and not meant to be eaten. Serve immediately!
Serving Tip: Elevate your meal by serving this delicious Balinese Chicken with a side of homemade Bami Goreng and a refreshing, tangy spicy cucumber salad. This combination creates a truly authentic and incredibly satisfying Indonesian feast. Yummy!
Did you make this delicious Balinese Chicken (Ayam Bumbu Bali) recipe? Don’t forget to tag #byandreajanssen via Instagram! I absolutely love to see your culinary creations and regularly share the most beautiful photos from my followers. Did you enjoy this recipe and find it helpful? Then please consider leaving a rating on the recipe card below! Your valuable feedback helps other home cooks discover and enjoy this incredible dish, and it supports me immensely in creating more amazing recipes for you.
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📖 Recipe
VIDEO
RECIPE CARD
Andréa
Pin Recipe
Equipment
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Wok
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Food processor with knife
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
- 2 pounds chicken, cubes 1 x 1 inch (2 x 2 cm)
- 1 red chili pepper, sliced into coarse pieces
- 7 shallots, finely chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and cut into large chunks (3 cm).
- 1 teaspoon galangal powder
- 2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon tamarind paste
- 1 teaspoon Shrimp paste
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 2 tomatoes, cut into cubes
- 4 tablespoons kecap manis
- 3 tablespoons palm sugar
- 3 salam leafs
- 2 sprigs lemongrass, bruised
- 3 oz. Coconut, grate
- ½ cup water
All my recipes are written both in Metric (gram / ml) and US Customary (cups / pounds). Here you can select which type of amount you would like to see.
Instructions
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Heat some sunflower oil in a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken cubes and fry them until they are beautifully golden brown on all sides. This step is crucial for flavor and texture, but the chicken does not need to be cooked through at this point. Once browned, carefully remove the chicken pieces from the wok using a slotted spoon and set them aside. Briefly clean the wok to prepare for the bumbu.2 tablespoons sunflower oil, 2 pounds chicken
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In a food processor, combine the roughly chopped red chili pepper, shallots, ginger, and garlic. Add the galangal powder, ground coriander, ground cumin, tamarind paste, and shrimp paste. Pulse the mixture until you achieve an almost smooth bumbu (spice paste). It should be well blended but a little texture is desirable; avoid large, unblended chunks. If you don’t have a food processor, a mortar and pestle will yield excellent results, or you can finely mince all ingredients by hand.1 red chili pepper, 7 shallots, 5 cloves garlic, 1 inch fresh ginger, 1 teaspoon galangal powder, 2 teaspoon ground coriander, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 tablespoon tamarind paste, 1 teaspoon Shrimp paste
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Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in the wok over medium heat. Add the prepared bumbu to the pan and fry, stirring constantly, for about 3 minutes. This crucial “blooming” step allows the spices to release their full aroma and develop a deeper flavor.2 tablespoons oil
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Next, add the diced tomatoes, palm sugar, kecap manis, salam leaves, and bruised lemongrass to the wok. Continue to fry for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, allowing the ingredients to blend and the palm sugar to melt, forming a rich, aromatic sauce base.2 tomatoes, 4 tablespoons kecap manis, 3 tablespoons palm sugar, 3 salam leafs, 2 sprigs lemongrass
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Return the previously browned chicken pieces to the wok, mixing them thoroughly with the fragrant bumbu. Continue to stir-fry for another 5 minutes, ensuring the chicken is fully coated and absorbing the initial layers of flavor from the spice paste.
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Add the grated coconut and water to the pan. Stir everything well to combine the coconut with the sauce, then bring the mixture to a gentle boil.3 oz. Coconut, ½ cup water
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Once boiling, reduce the heat to low, cover the pan, and let the Balinese Chicken simmer gently for 30 minutes. This slow cooking allows the chicken to become incredibly tender and fully absorb the complex flavors of the bumbu, while the sauce thickens and develops its rich consistency.
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Before serving, carefully remove and discard the lemongrass stalks and salam leaves from the pan. They have infused their flavors into the dish and are not meant for consumption.
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Serve your magnificent Balinese Chicken (Ayam Bumbu Bali) immediately with your favorite accompaniments and enjoy the authentic taste of Indonesia!
Notes
The bumbu is briefly fried in hot oil (a process called ‘blooming’) to intensify and release all its complex flavors before the other ingredients are added. This step is crucial for developing the rich base of the sauce.
2. Trassi (Shrimp Paste) Substitutions: Trassi is a highly flavorful fermented shrimp paste, a cornerstone of Indonesian cuisine, providing a deep umami character. If you find it difficult to source or prefer an alternative, you can replace it with one teaspoon of white miso paste or one teaspoon of fish sauce. Be aware that these substitutions will result in a slightly different, though still delicious, flavor profile. Miso offers a salty, earthy umami, while fish sauce provides a more pungent, savory depth.
3. Palm Sugar (Gula Djawa) Alternatives: Palm sugar has a unique caramel-like, subtly smoky, and slightly salty taste that is distinct and complex. For the most authentic flavor, stick with palm sugar. However, if it’s unavailable, you can substitute it with dark brown caster sugar. While this will provide sweetness, the depth and nuance of real palm sugar will be missed, as its flavor is much more intense and characteristic.
4. Tamarind Paste Replacements: Tamarind paste adds a wonderful sweet and sour freshness to the dish. It’s usually found in the Asian section of large supermarkets or at Asian grocery stores. If you don’t have tamarind paste on hand, a quick substitute can be made by combining two teaspoons of white vinegar with two teaspoons of granulated sugar. This will provide a similar sweet-sour balance, though perhaps lacking the fruity depth of authentic tamarind.
5. Salam Leaf Substitutions: Also known as Indonesian bay leaf, salam leaf imparts a subtle yet distinct aromatic quality. It’s typically sold dried (or sometimes fresh/frozen) at Asian supermarkets. If you cannot find salam leaves, you can replace them with two regular bay leaves, though the flavor will be slightly different, lending a more traditional European herbaceous note.
6. Adjusting Spice Level: This recipe is designed to be moderately spicy, making it enjoyable for the whole family. However, if you prefer your dinner with a more fiery kick, feel free to add 1 to 2 extra red chili peppers to the bumbu mixture. For even more heat, include the seeds of the chilies; for less, remove them. You can also add a pinch of dried chili flakes during the simmering stage for an extra layer of heat.
7. Storage and Reheating Tips: Proper storage ensures your Balinese Chicken remains delicious for future meals:
- Refrigerator: Leftover Balinese chicken can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
- Freezer: To freeze, allow the Indonesian Chicken with Balinese flavoring to cool down quickly and completely. Transfer it to an airtight freezer-safe container or a heavy-duty freezer bag. It will keep well in the freezer for up to 2 months. When ready to eat, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator.
- Reheat: Reheat the chicken gently over medium heat in a saucepan or wok, stirring occasionally, until it is thoroughly heated through. You may add a splash of water or coconut milk if the sauce has thickened too much during storage.
8. Nutritional Values: The nutritional values provided are estimated per person and do not include any side dishes such as rice or salad. Please use them as a general guide.
Nutrition
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More Delicious Indonesian Recipes to Explore
If you loved the flavors of this Balinese Chicken, you’ll be thrilled to discover more culinary treasures from the Indonesian kitchen. Here are some other fantastic recipes to inspire your next meal:
- Indonesian Babi Kecap (Babi Ketjap)
- Soy Sauce Chicken Recipe
- Slow Cooker Semur Daging
- Pepesan Ikan – Indonesian Spicy Mackerel