Taste the Paradise - Explore Bali’s Raw Cuisine

Bali is famous for its beautiful rice fields and its delicious foods. But did you know that Bali is a hotspot for not only regular vegan dishes but also raw creations? If you think of plain salad and veggies now, hang in there. Because the gourmet raw cuisine has some super delicious treats to offer, that not only amazes raw foodies but omnivores alike.

Since I never before had the opportunity to explore so many different raw dishes, I jumped head over toes into this restaurant world. Of course, such meals wouldn't make an ideal day-to-day diet, since they are often quite fatty and many of these restaurants also use oils, salt and different processed products for their dishes. But even for health enthusiasts like myself there must be some room for cheat meals, right?

So since these dishes don't land on my table that often, I wouldn’t miss to share those adventures with you. Here is my favorite selection:

Fine dining surrounded by Bali's nature (Moksa, Ubud)

The restaurant Moksa will pamper you with some real high-class dishes. The portions tend to be smaller, but the creations belong to the next level of raw cuisine. We treated ourselves with stuffed portobello mushroom with herb pesto, caramelized onions and swirled spinach as well as pumpkin ravioli complemented with coconut sour cream, sundried tomato vinaigrette and raw parmesan. It was all super delicious, the arrangement almost too precious to break it apart. On top, you enjoy your meals in an impressive location, surrounded by quiet nature with an organic permaculture garden next door.

Pesto noodles with crunchy nut parmesan (In the Raw, Canggu)

In the raw food world zoodles (as zucchini noodles are commonly called) became a good old classic and this variation truly deserves its spot in my selection. The restaurant 'In the Raw' makes its zoodles bath within a creamy herb pesto and tops it up with very delicious nut parmesan. The tomato relish at the side adds a nice Mediterranean flavor to it - so good! Apart from that, the garden restaurant is truly an eye-catcher, its modern industrial look nicely merges with a lot of green plants. We also had a green juice there, which was really tasty while still containing a lot of nutritious veggies.

Pizza madness with Indian flavors (Seeds of Life, Ubud)

The first time I got the chance, I went for a raw pizza and I was certainly not disappointed. Seeds of Life became my favorite restaurant right with the first bite. The pizza was crunchy, yet topped with loads of toppings - I always prefer them to look like a mountain of colorful veggies instead of a dry prairie. And not only did they put raw sour cream on top, they completed the dish with a sweet tamarind chutney to add a certain Indian flavor - just WOW. I became quite a regular at Seeds of Life since there were so many other dishes to taste on their well selected menu.

Mexican Vibes for hungry foodies - Raw enchiladas (Seeds of Life)

This was a bomb, you should only go for it when you are very hungry since these enchiladas are filled with a rich walnut cauliflower rice that will definitely satisfy your longing for something hearty. But again, Seeds of Life managed to make enchiladas not only raw but much more exciting than the conventional version. Sour cream and mango salsa on top and a spicy tomato paste on the side make a great mix of flavors that you will either love or hate.

SOL Bowl - The salad that has it all (Seeds of Life)

At first, it reads like a salad composition on the menu, but there are so many different exciting ingredients in there - spirulina cream, tomato spread, raw hummus, linseed cracker, zucchini noodles, kimchi and more. Every bite is different and this became my absolute favorite meal here. I find it especially fun to eat this bowl since it comes with chopsticks and always proves to be a challenge to mix everything together and transport it safely into your mouth. Relax, they also give you normal cutlery, so you don't have to stay hungry if you have not yet mastered eating with sticks.

Zucchini lasagne meets yogi oasis (Samadi, Canggu)

What would be a raw food hunt without a lasagne, right? I did love the Italian lasagne at Seeds of Life but since I longed for a change of scenery now and then, I tried the version in the beautiful restaurant Samadi in Canggu. It is an outside space where you will find yourself surrounded by colorful flowers, feeling the calming vibes from the nearby yoga center. The lasagne was not as advanced as at Seeds of Life but offered a very fresh taste, super light in your tummy. I also often went there for the freshly pressed juices, the beetroot mixture (called Blood Purifier) was my absolute favorite.

Raw options for every traveler's appetite

There are many other great places in Bali to dive into raw food and this is just a short selection of some dishes - I tried many more during my time there (for example at the restaurants Sayuri and Alchemy) and will definitely dive deeper into them, once I am back on the island. To get a better overview of all the raw vegan options in Bali, check out happy cow and all the listed restaurants there, it is an awesome app for traveling vegan foodies like myself.

Although these dishes are much cheaper compared to Western standards, you can still save some money by shopping at many of the colorful fruit and veggie stalls along the street. So much health and vibrancy for such a small price. And some of the tropical fruit varieties are truly an adventure.

Hopefully I could inspire you to buy your flight ticket to Bali right now and dive into its raw cuisine head first. And don’t shy away when a meal is labeled as healthy raw dish, this can be such an taste explosion and will surely widen your horizon.

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Have a wonderful day and a fruitful journey ahead!

Yours, Anais

🍓Hungry for more healthy nuggets? Check out my other raw vegan posts:

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( This post is taking part in Steemit 'Fruits and Veggies Monday Competition' from @lenasveganliving .)