Start at the morning market, end at a family table. Grind your own spice paste by hand, cook a full Balinese meal over an open flame, and eat what you made - the way it's actually done in an Ubud home.
We start early at a working local market - not a tourist one. Your host walks you past the galangal, turmeric root, candlenut, lemongrass, and palm sugar, explaining what each one does and how to pick it. You'll learn more about Balinese food in this half hour than in a week of restaurants.
Everything in Balinese cooking starts with base gede, the master spice paste. You'll grind it yourself in a stone mortar - no blender, no shortcuts - and understand immediately why the flavour is so different from anything you get from a jar. Your arms will ache. It's part of the process.
You'll cook a full spread - usually sate lilit, lawar, tempeh in sweet soy, a vegetable urab, and a chicken or fish dish, all over an open flame in a family compound kitchen. Then you sit down and eat everything you made, together. Vegetarian and vegan versions are no problem - just tell us when you book.