Tasty Authors, Fascinating Food

Can you resist this? From Janet de Neefe :

WRITERS’ & READERS’ MONTH AT CASA LUNA

What’s a writer’s festival without great food?

During the month of October, Casa Luna, one of Bali’s favourite restaurants set in the hillside retreat of Ubud, will honour the homes of the writers appearing at the 2009 Ubud Writers & Readers Festival by featuring their favourite recipes.

From Haiti to Zimbabwe, from coconut to corn, the Casa Luna menu will feature exotic dishes from more than twenty countries that will include Australia, India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Italy, Burma, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Haiti, Turkey, Pakistan, Mexico and Nepal. The Casa Luna chefs have been chatting to the writers and gleaning family food secrets and stories that are a valued part in making these treasured dishes.

Leading this year’s Ubud Writers & Readers Festival line-up are Nobel laureates J.M. Coetzee and Wole Soyinka, Vikas Swarup, Fatima Bhutto, Mohammed Hanif, Hari Kunzru, Dany Laferriere, Kate Grenville, Lloyd Jones, Seno Gumira Adjidarma, Sonya Hartnett, Arthur Flowers, Dede Oetomo and Alison Lester.

Its master chef meets masters of pen and prose. Be thrilled by one of the most exciting and eclectic menus you will ever see representing award winning authors, poets and playwrights from all corners of the globe.

Ubud Writers & Readers Festival dates: October 7 – 11.

Contact: Janet DeNeefe janet@ubudwritersfestival.com

Mmmm ... where's the Nigerian food? Can I come along and cook jollof rice?

Janet's Continuing Love Affair

Ubud Readers and Writers Festival director Janet de Neefe is interviewed in the Australian about her continuing love affair with Bali, the sequel she's writing to her memoir/cookbook Fragrant Rice, which will be :

... a classic tale tracing three generations of women: her Balinese mother-in-law, herself and her two daughters, centring on the traditional v the modern

and of course about the festival which this year runs from October 7 to 11 with the theme Sorrow and Joy :

Now in its sixth year, the festival will run , examining the ability of the human spirit to triumph over adversity. Complemented by the culinary tradition of languorous meals served in magnificent settings, the litfest will feature the customary seminars, debates, book launches, panels, performances and workshops. Debates on environmental issues and the rise of fundamentalism - touching on Islam in Indonesia, globalisation, censorship of the media, world poverty and the effects of the country's new anti-pornography law - will all be par for the course. De Neefe encourages local writers where she can and supports efforts to have Indonesian writing translated into English for publication overseas.

The line up is (as usual) amazing and (tentatively, because we all know how these things go) :

Nobel laureate J.M. Coetzee, Wole Soyinka, Hari Kunzru, Ed Husain, 2007 Orange prizewinner Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Nuruddin Farah and Australians Geraldine Brooks and Michelle de Kretser will all be present.

I hope the publicity in Australia will pull in some much needed sponsorship money for the festival which Janet, and her husband Ketut Suardana, put a great deal of their own money into.

Want to attend the festival this year? Hint - now's a good time to book your AirAsia cheapie flight!

(Pic is a photo I took at the festival last year.)

Literary Curry

If you picked up the free copy of MPH's Quill magazine, you will have read my interview with Janet de Neefe, who founded the Ubud Readers and Writers Festival. Janet and her husband Ketut Suardana run two of Bali's most famous restaurants, Casa Luna of Ubud and Indus of Campuan, (website here) as well as Honeymoon Guesthouse where regular cookery classes are held. Janet is also the author of Fragrant Rice: My Continuing Love Affair with Bali published by Harper Collins Australia.

Sadly, there was one question that had to be cut due to space constraints, and since I asked it for you, I append it here because this dish is absolutely yummy!: Could you give us a typical Balinese recipe that our Malaysian readers might enjoy? KARE AYAM Chicken curry Probably the most wonderful aspect of making a curry is the heavenly aromas that drift through the house when food is being prepared. Balinese chicken curry is lighter than its Indian counterpart. You can also replace the chicken with any other meat, fish or vegetable. For maximum flavour, I always use chicken thigh or leg with the bone for a curry. However, you can use chicken breast or boned meat if you prefer. Use fresh galangal and turmeric for this dish as the flavour, aroma and texture will be far superior to the powdered varieties. Serves 3-4 750 g chicken pieces 1-2 cups coconut milk 5 tbs oil for frying 1 lemongrass 3 salam leaves (These are a kind of Indonesian bay leaves) 4 lime leaves sea salt 2 tsp tamarind Spices: 5 small red shallots 7 small cloves garlic 3 large red chilli 2-3 bird's-eye chillies 1 tbs ginger 3 tbs galangal 3 candlenut 1 tbs fresh turmeric ½ tomato 2 stalks of lemongrass 1/4 tsp shrimp paste 2 tsp coriander seeds 1/4 tsp cumin (opt) 1 tbs palm sugar Blend all the spices in the container of a food processor until paste-like. Add a little water if necessary. Bruise the extra lemon grass and tie into a loose knot. Heat the oil in a wok over a medium flame. Throw in the spices, lemongrass, lime leaves and salam leaves. Push them back and forth confidently for 30 seconds until fragrant and shiny, making sure they don’t burn on the base of the wok. Add the chicken and toss around until sealed or half-cooked. This will take at least two minutes. Add two cups of water and boil for about fifteen minutes or until the meat is cooked. Now add the final layer of coconut milk. Bring to the boil, simmer for a minute and then turn off. Check seasonings and serve topped with shallots. Add sea salt to taste. Alternatives: Potatoes, beans, or carrots may be added, or tempe/tofu may be used as a meat substitute.

The Ubud Quill

You can pick up a free special edition of MPH's Quill magazine put together especially for the Ubud readers and Writers Festival which is taking place in Bali next month. It is however only available at the following outlets : 1. MPH One Utama 2. MPH Mid Valley 3. MPH Subang Parade 4. MPH Bangsar Village II I have a couple of pieces in the magazine including an interview with Janet de Neefe who founded the festival, an interview with Canadian author Camilla Gibb (whom many of you will remember from the KL Literary Festival), and the interview with Preeta Samarasan which also appeares in the current edition of Quill. Eric has put some really good stuff from the issue on his blog, including an an interview with Aravind Adiga (right) whose first novel The White Tiger is Booker longlisted. If the issue whets your appetite and makes you hungry for more contact with the authors featured ... well you know what you have to do!