Indonesian food series: Bala-bala recipe (Indonesian vegetable fritters)

Bala-bala, also known as Bakwan Sayur, is an Indonesian dish consisting of vegetable fritters. Strongly resembling their Indian counterpart pakhora, this satisfying street snack is delicious served with some fiery sambal. The original bala-bala recipe is both vegan and gluten-free, making it a perfect snack for dietary restrictions. In this post, I will show you the bala-bala recipe that we learned from Chef Hero on our cooking class in Warung Sunny in the beautiful tropical paradise island of Gili Air. It is a really easy dish to put together and with ingredients that are found anywhere in the world! Let’s dig in!

Warung Sunny Cooking Class review: our experience in an Indonesian cooking class in Gili Air

Bala-bala @ Warung Sunny

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Bala-bala recipe ingredients

• 250g Flour (we used cassava flour, but you can use a gram flour to turn them into Indian pakhoras. Alternatively, you can use wheat flour or mix chickpea and rice flour for a more accessible gluten-free option)
• Vegetables (up to you, but choose vegetables with similar cooking times). I reccommend:
  • 250g cabbage
  • 2 carrots
  • 1 green onion/scallion
• Salt
• Pepper
• (optional) Granulated chicken stock. Ignore if vegan.
• Oil for frying
• + spices at liberty. Some nice options are garam masala, yellow curry powder or cumin seeds.
• (optional) you can add some fresh herbs while serving, such as basil, mint or lettuce.

Bala-bala recipe instructions

1. Thinly slice the vegetables. You can shred the cabbage and cut the carrot and onion in julienne.
2. Add salt and pepper.
3. Let the sliced vegetables sit for 30 minutes at least. They will release water (this is important for the next step)
4. Add the flour, granulated chicken stock and spices. Mix well with your hands. The water released by the vegetables should be enough to make a thick batter. If not, just add more water.
5. Make clumps of battered vegetables and flatten them with the spoon so they are not too thick.
6. Heat up the oil at medium-high temperature.
7. Fry them until golden.
8. Cool them on absorbing paper.
9. Serve hot with fresh herbs and spicy sambal.

Cooking tip: don’t fry too much batter at the same time, they will stick together. Also, when you first introduce batter in the pan/pot, wait a few seconds until it sets before you move it with your spoon.

Closing statement

This simple bala-bala recipe is a perfect snack or starter that caters to many dietary restrictions but is still tasty! It is a success at any dinner party, so save this recipe to test your Indonesian cooking skills. We learned this recipe at our cooking class in Warung Sunny in Gili Air, Indonesia. You can check out our experience in the class here:

Warung Sunny Cooking Class review: our experience in an Indonesian cooking class in Gili Air

If you’re in the Gili islands, you’ll probably find these helpful:

Quick Gili islands guide: a starters kit for paradise seekers in Indonesia

The chill Gili: Gili Air

The party Gili: Gili Trawangan

The honeymoon Gili: Gili Meno

Also, if you’re in Indonesia, have a look at these:

Perfect 3 days itinerary in Ubud, Bali

Hiking Mt. Bromo and Mt. Ijen in Java, Indonesia

Perfect 3-day itinerary in Nusa Penida, Indonesia

What to do in North Sumatra, the secret Indonesia keeps from you

Perfect 10 days Flores itinerary in Indonesia

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