Denpasar Will Serve You “Bulung”!

Published 3 months ago in Balinese Food by Rina-Editor | 220 Views

It is already well-known that seaweed has many benefits. This plant is used for cosmetics, medicines, and as a main ingredient of many kinds of meals. Since bulung (seaweed, Kappaphycus alvarezii in botany) contains many fibers it is good for daily consumption especially for those in diet program, and it keeps you away from cancer since it contains antioxidant.

Pudding and Seaweed ice are kinds of seaweed products that Balinese usually consumes. Balinese are so familiar to these healthy products. However, Balinese who lived outside Denpasar haven’t known yet that people in Denpasar have another seaweed product. It is more original and tastier.

Balinese call seaweed, “bulung” (seaweed). Ni Wayan Nambrig is one of Denpasar women who love “bulung” (seaweed) so much; she shared her old memories on “bulung” (seaweed), the story goes as follow: When she was child, she went to the beach with her neighbor to look for “bulung”. She said, on that time, it was very easy to get “bulung” (seaweed). Waves brought so many “bulung” (seaweed) to the edge of beach. Consequently they went home with a big basket of ‘bulung’. Nowadays, people who want to look for seaweed must go far to the sea. Nambrig with her mother cooked that “bulung” well. She mixed with grated coconut, some vegetables, and chilies.

One day, she wanted to look for ‘bulung’. Then she went with her neighbor as usual. When dark came and harsh rain fell, they decided to go home. In order to reach home they had to pass an overflowed river. Both of them were scared. Nevertheless they moved their legs with basket of seaweed in their hand. Unfortunately, the basket was carried away. Nambrig cried.

Now, Nambrig is almost 83 years. She needs not to look for bulung by herself anymore because there are many Balinese traditional foods are sold including “bulung”.

They-the sellers of Balinese traditional foods- buy white dry bulung (before drying it is green) in the traditional market. They pay Rp 10.000 for one kilo of ‘bulung’. Then it is washed three times. Next, the clean ‘bulung’ is boiled in a minute. On the same time they grind some spices – a little bit shrimp paste and chili – then they mix the spices with the “bulung” (seaweed) and they also prepared the pindang sauce (liquid residue of boiling fish named pindang) an original Denpasar’s sauce. Then the “bulung” is mixed with grated coconut, grated ginger root and citrus and the ground spices. Don’t worry of the “bulung” (seaweed), the ginger root and citrus eliminate the smell and they also enhance the taste. Finally, the sauce is added into the mixture. Yummy! It is delicious and healthy. Want to try it? Only Denpasar will serve you tastier bulung.