June 2007 at "Ikarus":
Heinz von Holzen
"Bumbu Bali"
Bali, Indonesia
Bali's discoverer
Chili peppers, ginger root, turmeric root, galanga root, kencur, salam leaves and lemongrass - the aromas wafting from the kitchen of Heinz von Holzen have absolutely nothing to do with Swiss culinary tradition. Nor can they, since Heinz von Holzen, born in Stans, Switzerland, in 1958, is more or less the discoverer of and sage in matters of Balinese culinary art. It's unbelievable to think that "The Food of Bali" - written (and illustrated!) by the Swiss-born cook in 1993 - was the first cookbook to embrace the world of Balinese cuisine. And that Bumbu Bali, the centre of Heinz von Holzen's work since 1999, is the only restaurant in Bali to offer authentic Balinese cooking.
Von Holzen's career didn't get off to the most exotic of starts. He was interested in technology and began studying mechanical engineering. But three and a half years of working in an office bored him to such an extent that he decided to look for another apprenticeship position. The best opportunity that arose was also the best for him: he fell in love with cooking on the very first day. Von Holzen started at the Hotel de La Paix in Lucerne, worked his way up the culinary and career ladder in various Hilton hotels, arrived in Singapore as a sous-chef in 1985, where he switched to the Hyatt Regency, subsequently becoming head chef of the Grand Hyatt Bali in 1990.
Heinz von Holzen
Interview
Balinese restaurants, explains von Holzen, tend to offer very similar dishes: a little Indonesian, a little Italian, a little French. In his search for authentic Balinese recipes, von Holzen staged a competition for the 150 chefs at the Grand Hyatt. He was surprised and overwhelmed by the variety of flavours and dishes that emerged as a result of the competition. The recipes that were uncovered at the Hyatt went into "The Food of Bali", forming the foundation for each of the dishes served by von Holzen at the Bumbu Bali today: roasted duck or grilled fish in banana leaves, ox tongue in sweet nutmeg sauce, braised squid in lime basil... - all full of colour, with all kinds of herbs and served unbelievably fresh.
Several books, numerous promotional trips and well-attended cookery seminars later, Heinz von Holzen has become quite the ambassador of Balinese cooking. The Bumbu Bali has been rated the best restaurant in Bali or the whole of Indonesia several times, and von Holzen himself has been voted one of Bali's 21 most important personalities owing to his services to local cooking. "Balinese cooking," says von Holzen, "has genuinely taken hold over everything I do." Is there anything typically Swiss left of him? A love of endurance sport, perhaps. And of course the discipline with which he prepares and globally promotes Balinese cooking.
Video
HEINZ VON HOLZEN
GUEST CHEF MENU AT IKARUS
Menu 1
Lawar Kwir dan Sate Bebek
Jackfruit salad with minced duck sate
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Gadang Mekuah
Green papaya soup with seafood
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Nasi Goreng Mawut
Fried rice, noodles with lobster and sot l’y laisse
Main Dishes
Pesan Ayam
Chicken and mushrooms grilled in banana leaf
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Be Celeng base Manis
Pork braised in sweet soy sauce
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Kambing Panggang
Grilled lamb chops on warm bean salad
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Krang Rendang
Scallops and mussels braised in spiced coconut milk
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Sop Ikan
Balinese seafood pot au feu with sour stare fruits and tomatoes
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Ikan Bakar Dabu Dabu
Grilled fish with tomatoes and chilies
Sweet Selection
Buah Buahan
Selection of tropical fruits
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Dadar
Coconut pancakes
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Bubuh Injin
Black rice pudding
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Sumping Waluh
Steamed pumpkin cakes in banana leaf
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Es Buter
Coconut-lemon grass and tamarillo ice cream
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Angsle
Ginger soup with glutinous rice flour dumplings
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Pisang Goreng
Fried bananas
Menu 2
Sambal Tapa
Tuna salad with green mango and lime coconut dressing
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Ayam
Clear chicken soup with glass noodles and vegetables
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Goreng Mawut
Fried rice, noodles with lobster and sot l’y laisse
Main Dishes
Pesan Ayam
Chicken and mushrooms grilled in banana leaf
***
Be Celeng base Manis
Pork braised in sweet soy sauce
***
Kambing Panggang
Grilled lamb chops on warm bean salad
***
Krang Rendang
Scallops and mussels braised in spiced coconut milk
***
Sop Ikan
Balinese seafood pot au feu with sour stare fruits and tomatoes
***
Ikan Bakar Dabu Dabu
Grilled fish with tomatoes and chilies
Sweet Selection
Buah Buahan
Selection of tropical fruits
***
Dadar
Coconut pancakes
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Bubuh Injin
Black rice pudding
***
Sumping Waluh
Steamed pumpkin cakes in banana leaf
***
Es Buter
Coconut-lemon grass and tamarillo ice cream
***
Angsle
Ginger soup with glutinous rice flour dumplings
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Pisang Goreng
Fried bananas
Vegetarian Menu
Pecelan dan Sate Tempe
Vegetable salad in peanut dressing with sates from tempe
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Wong Dadah
Mushroom soup
Vegetarian Main Dishes
Pesan Wong
Grilled mushrooms in banana leaf
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Tempe Manis
Fermented soy bean cake in sweet soy sauce
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Pecel Terong
Grilled aubergines and soy bean cake in peanut sauce
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Tahu Kalas
Fried bean curd with turmeric sauce
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Lawar Nyawan
Honey comb salad with green papayas
Sweet Selection
Buah Buahan
Selection of tropical fruits
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Dadar
Coconut pancakes
***
Bubuh Injin
Black rice pudding
***
Sumping Waluh
Steamed pumpkin cakes in banana leaf
Es Buter
Coconut-lemon grass and tamarillo ice cream
Angsle
Ginger soup with glutinous rice flour dumplings
Pisang Goreng
Fried bananas
Roland Trettl @ Heinz von Holzen
Bali without demons
Why of all people is it a Swiss cook that preserves the tradition of the Balinese culinary arts? Heinz von Holzen tells us about a love affair: with a beautiful woman and a tale of fruits and fresh fish.
by Christoph Schulte / essen & trinken
Executive chef Roland Trettl flew to the other side of the globe just to meet Swiss born Heinz von Holzen who cooks on Bali, where he cultivates the so-called “bourgeois cuisine”. It’s only logical that he should be invited for a session at the “Hangar-7”, Trettl’s cooking event at Salzburg Airport. Von Holzen happily let himself be persuaded to do so.
Of course I’m quite calculating. I hardly have enough time, to discover the secrets of our guest cooks. One of my ways of quickly being accepted by them is to find out if there are any common interests apart from cooking. It was easy on Bali with Heinz von Holzen: he likes jogging. So the first thing I asked him was if we could jog away my jet lag.
I’ll have no problems keeping up with a near 50 year old, thought I. But, almost nothing came of those secrets, what with 35 degrees in the shade and saturating humidity. There was another small detail I had overlooked: That HvH is a marathon runner and that he participates in a 600 kilometre cycling race through Australia’s desert every year. After a 90-minute endurance run I crawled into the kitchen happy to be given the chance to work.
Heinz von Holzen is the leading authority when it comes to the authentic Balinese cuisine. His restaurant Bumbu BaliGrand HyattRitz Carlton
Heinz von Holzen calls his cooking “bourgeois”. One can agree on that. There’s not even a hint of “Adriatic foams” when von Holzen serves his excellent “Be Celeng Base Manis”, pork in a sweet soy sauce with shallots and garlic. Even von Holzen’s soups like the papaya soup with fish and seafood are not without reason and rhyme.
You should definitely not postpone the chance of cooking these recipes together with the man himself. One thing that could happen is that the Swiss born is off at short notice with next plane to Jakarta to demonstrate the Balinese cuisine to a group of a hundred Indonesian cooks. The other thing might be that on the following day no cooking or work is done at all because of Nyepi Day. This is similar to New Year, when all public land private life comes to a complete standstill for 24 hours. The international airport Denpasar is closed, even all air traffic over the island is barred for this period – and all that just to assuage the startled demons roused by the nightly carnivals, giving them the impression that there is nothing going on in Bali anymore and that it makes no sense to settle here again.
So the desserts just had to wait, whereby it’s no easy feat to prepare these the same way as in Bali. There’s nothing better than the indigenous fruits: the exotic snake fruit salak, the furry rambutan or the juicy sweet mangostinos. But after all, a cook just wants to cook. And trying “Kueh Bubuh Injin”, a pudding made of black rice is a must.
You simply can’t get anything fresher than what’s offered here. This is because in most of the warungs and markets in Bali are not supplied with refrigeration. Those who are unable to store cool have to shop and prepare daily. Bali’s cuisine is also exciting because it is cooked using little oil and is therefore very healthy and good for the figure.
Those who are keen on finding out more, should attend Heinz von Holzen’s cookery courses in Bumbu Bali. Four weeks Bali live in Salzburg and everything completely free of demons - Heinz von Holzen’s recipes will make absolutely sure of that.
<pschwarz></pschwarz>Jimbaran Beach Market is a daily must for Heinz von Holzen. The Swiss cook usually has a group of students who are learning both to shop and to handle chopping knives in tow.
Lemon grass and fresh chilli are there at the ready when Heinz von Holzen prepares his Balinese Rijsttafel a speciality at the restaurant . Interested cooks are introduced to the secrets of the Balinese cuisine at his cookery school where they mostly learn how to prepare fresh fish.
Bumbu Bali
Jl. Pratama
Tanjung Benoa
P. O. Box 132
Nusa Dua 80363
Bali, Indonesien
Tel.: 0062 361 / 77 45 02
Fax: 0062 361 / 77 17 28
www.balifoods.com
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