Balinese food series: Base Gede recipe (basic yellow sauce)

Base gede is the Balinese basic yellow sauce used to prepare many of the traditional Balinese dishes, such as chicken curry, urab salad or even sate. It is made by grinding spices, traditionally on a lesung (Balinese mortar), and it is added to the preparation of the dishes. The base gede itself is vegan, lactose- and gluten-free, so it can be used to prepare dishes adapted to many dietary restrictions.

* Since I need to maintain Feast of Travel, it is possible that this post contains affiliate links. It does not affect you in any way, but if you want to read more about it, you can have a look at the Trusted companies page.

Base Gede recipe: ingredients (4-6 pax)

• 10 shallots
• 15 cloves of garlic
• 2 thumb-sized pieces of lesser galangal
• 2 thumb-sized pieces of galangal
• 2 thumb-sized pieces of ginger
• 2 thumb-sized pieces of turmeric or 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder
• 2 hot chilies
• 3 red chilies
• 4 candle nuts or macadamia nuts
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon white pepper
• 2 cloves
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg powder
• 1 tablespoon palm sugar
• 1 stalk of lemon grass
• 2 salam leaves or bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons of shrimp paste
•  (Indonesian shrimp paste, Terasi, if possible)
• 3 tablespoon of coconut oil

Base gede recipe: instructions

1. Clean and wash all ingredients except seeds and powders. Slice and remove the seeds from the hot and red chilies. Finely chop shallots, garlic, lesser galangal, galangal, ginger, turmeric, candle nuts, red chilies and hot chilies.
2. Blend the chopped ingredients, coriander seeds, nutmeg and cloves in a Balinese lesung, or in a conventional blender, until they form a fine paste.

3. Sauté the paste in the coconut oil. Crush the lemongrass stalk then add salt, pepper, palm sugar, salam leaves and the lemongrass to the paste. Sauté for about seven minutes on a low heat.

4. And that’s how you make Base Gede! This basic yellow sauce lasts for 1-2 weeks in the refrigerator. Read about some dishes you can prepare with it such as Kare Ayam, Jukut Urab or Sate Lilit Ayam.

Closing statement

As you can see, there is not secret to this Base Gede recipe. It is a very simple yet tasty condiment that you can prepare in advance and store and just added to your favourite recipes. Try it at home and let me know how it turns out!

I learned this Base Gede recipe at Paon Bali Cooking Class by the hand of Mama Puspa, the sassy chef that led our class. You can read more about our experience with Paon Bali and Mama Puspa in my dedicated post.

Paon Bali Cooking Class review: our experience in a Balinese cooking class

You can book your class here, through Paon Bali’s website or phone number (+62 813-3793-9095).

If you’re planning a trip to Indonesia, have a look at these posts:

Perfect 3 days itinerary in Ubud, Bali

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

11 top things to do in Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Perfect 3-day itinerary in Nusa Penida, Indonesia

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

Perfect 10 days Flores itinerary in Indonesia

PIN ME: