Learn to cook at Ubud's scenic culinary temple

Judy Chapman, Contributor, Ubud, Bali

The air is thick with the scent of perfectly ripe mangoes. Its luxuriant and velvety syrup tumbles into my glass as if spilling down from Epicurean gods. Banana leaves are reverently wrapped around tenggiri fish like shrouds concealing sacred objects.

Spicy aromas rise from a chili lime sambel like smoke from ceremonial incense. I am silent as I watch the high priestess, Australian chef Janet de Neef, at work in her culinary temple.

I am here in the Balinese village of Ubud, an artistic village high in the mountains, to discover just how sacred food preparation can be. I am sitting in a lush tropical garden with a group of other foodie pilgrims, who have come from all corners of the globe to attend Janet's Casa Luna cooking school.

Twenty years ago she traveled from Melbourne to Bali to fulfill her life long dream of writing a cookbook. Not only did she complete the book, she created her own empire. At last count it comprised an authentic family-style guest house, two restaurants, a bakery, art gallery, home emporium and four children.

As fate would have it, Janet met her husband on her second day here. I am struck by the empowerment she emanates. A woman surely rewarded for following her heart and life's purpose.

"My first love is cooking," she says passionately and recalls a childhood filled with trips to the Victoria market with her Maltese grandmother.

"I love the process of starting with raw ingredients and transforming them into something full of texture, color and aroma. It's everyday art that appeals to all the senses."

Her unadulterated love of food has found an ideal home in Balinese culture. Life here completely revolves around it. From their daily ritual of buying fresh seasonal produce from the local market, to their temple offerings and ceremonial feasts, food is very serious business.

Janet explains that the Balinese have an Ayurvedic approach to cooking. "They incorporate four flavors -- sweet, sour, salty and spicy -- to create perfect balance."

This philosophy is reflected in their elegant manner of eating. "Eating time is quiet time and not social unless at a ceremony. They do not talk during eating and experience it as a time of spiritual and physical nourishment."

Three days a week Janet shares her love and knowledge of Balinese food at the cooking school. First we learn to identify exotic herbs and spices. Each ingredient is chopped and sliced then passed around for us to taste, smell and feel.

She bursts with delight as she demonstrates how to correctly grind spices. "It's not only good for the biceps, it is also therapeutic for the mind. Most spices we use are uplifting so it's like aromatherapy, an anti-depressant. Forget therapy, bake a cake."

I am fascinated by the nutmeg. Two kinds are fatal. Too much in a curry and your guests will be crawling around on their hands and knees hallucinating for days. A sprinkling on hot milk with ginger and honey cures the most hardened of insomniacs.

Lemongrass soothes "Bali Belly" and palm sugar is called "Food of the Gods". I have a sneaking suspicion from the way the group are licking it from their fingers and staring at each other that it may also be an aphrodisiac.

The lavish Balinese feast we prepare is a knockout. Spiced fish in banana leaves steamed so lightly it retains every flavor. An explosive Asian spinach dish with tomato, lime and chili. Fragrant fish soup with strangely euphoric vapors. Refreshing carrot and cucumber pickles and a to die for black rice pudding. This is pure temple food. Silahkan, Makan!

Over the meal I ask Janet how she manages to maintain her enthusiasm. Her answer reveals the seriousness in which she views her work.

"No food processor is used in the preparation of Balinese cooking and this is what I am inspired by. I feel that many people today have lost their feel for spirituality in the kitchen. I see the kitchen as the most celebrated place. The introduction of fast food reflects an all round lack of care."

She is disturbed that people seem to be cooking less and less. "It's not unusual for people to say at the start of my cooking class that they don't cook at home, so they came along to see how it's done. And yet they're all up to date with the latest sitcoms. So, the argument about not having enough time doesn't make sense to me."

Her religious-like fervor is infectious. I resolve there and then, her most devout disciple, to spend my evenings with my mortar and pestle instead of with pizza and Sex and the City.

Having feasted on food fit for the gods, I retire under a coconut palm with a glass of local rice wine and look out at the sunset over the Tjampuhan River valley. The amber sky shimmers against the fluorescent green rice fields. This is a place of epiphanies. I raise my glass to Janet de Neef for reminding me that heaven is a place here on earth.

Black Rice Pudding, Serves 4-6

A famous and highly nutritious pudding eaten as an afternoon snack by the Balinese.

1/2 cup black rice, 200g palm or brown sugar, 2 cinnamon sticks (optional), 2 cups coconut milk, 2 tbsp. sticky white rice (optional), 1 pandan leaf or essence, 1 vanilla bean (optional).

Soak the black rice in water and cover for about eight hours. Add the white rice for the last two hours. Transfer to a large saucepan and add extra water so that it covers the rice by 10cm or one thumb (a rice cooker is not suitable). Boil the rice with pandan leaf, salt, vanilla and cinnamon stick until most of the water has evaporated and is soft enough to eat. This should take at least one hour. Stir in the palm sugar. Simmer over a low flame, until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is thick and glossy. Check the flavor. To serve: spoon the pudding into bowls and top with coconut milk, fruit and toasted coconut.

Casa Luna Cooking School Schedule

Monday Class, 9:30-2:00, 6-15 people. Spiced fish in banana leaves; Asian spinach with a tomato-lime chili seasoning; Fragrant fish soup; Refreshing carrot and cucumber pickles; Black rice pudding.

Tuesday Class, 8:00am-1:00pm, 6-10 people. Ubud Market tour followed by a cooking class. Mie Goreng; Tempe Curry; Roasted Eggplant Sambal; Green Coconut Pancakes; Anything unusual we find at the markets.

Wednesday Class, 9:30-2:00pm, 6-15 people. Balinese chicken satay; Lawar; Coconut-lime bean salad; Corn fritters; Gado-Gado; Fragrant yellow rice.

Cost: Rp 130,000 per person per class (approx. AUS$25) Bookings can be made in advance by email to www.casalunabali.com or by fax, letter or in person at Casa Luna or Indus Restaurant in Ubud.