AN American celebrity chef, Anthony Bourdain, once says that food is everything we are. It’s an extension of a region, ethnic and history. In short, each food also tells about distinctive stories about people and their region.
When talking about satay in Bali, for instance, we may immediately refer to meat pieces skewered with pointed stick. The meats commonly taken advantage for the making of this satay delicacy are varied such as beef, pork, rabbit, goat and so forth. And these have been a commonplace and can be found almost everywhere.
But wait! There is a unique satay made from the flesh of mollusk living in paddy field. It is snail. This slowly-moved mollusk in fact has delicious flesh. While cleaning up weeds in paddy field, farmers usually collect the snails. By and large, this snails are then on sale at traditional market. So one day, when making a visit to Bali you need to try this satay of the local agrarian community. Other than at food stalls, this satay can now be found at hotels and restaurants in Bali.
When tasting this traditional Balinese satay, you will get a unique flavor with chewy meat and a little sweetness. On that account, visitors that do not like the spicy taste can choose to reduce the level of spiciness or ask for peanut sauce, if available.
The main ingredient needed to make this satay is a paddy field snails having been boiled and cleaned by taking part of its head. Then, it is stabbed by using a skewer. The next stage is to grill the skewered flesh on embers. In the meantime, the spices commonly used to serve this satay can optionally be in the form of peanuts sauce or plecing sauce (made from chilies, tomatoes, garlic, shrimp paste, lime, salt and sugar).This snail satay is also available at Kubu Pesisi Garden on Jalan Camplung Tanduk, Seminyak. It is served with white rice, water spinach vegetable with plecing sauce and raw condiment. Have a nice culinary adventure!
