Lush in the tropics

Bali has beckoned Australians for decades and I have just returned from a jaunt there. We stayed in beautiful Sanur and ate Indonesian food beside lotus ponds, listening to the ringing bamboo sounds of the gamelan. Mie goreng for breakfast, lime juice with palm sugar syrup after a swim, satay, sambal, snake fruit, diamond pillows of sticky rice and banana wrapped in a ribbon of coconut, pandan or green tea cake with jasmine tea.

The Bali Hyatt Sanur is set in 36 acres of lush beachfront tropical foliage, flowers and fruit plants and is tended by 47 gardeners. The hotel gardens were designed by landscape architect Made Wijaya (also known as Michael White), who was Sydney-born.

The action in Bali is, however, at Seminyak, on the opposite coast of the island. At lunch at elegant two-storey beach house La Luciola, recommended by a new Balinese friend, the cuisine is Italian, the chef Australian and the sarong-clad waiters are Balinese.

We ate chargrilled tuna on wilted spinach and passionfruit sorbet with a glass of Two Islands (Australian grapes, Bali bottled) wine. Then I explored Petitenget temple next door.

A walk along the surf beach with its crashing waves led to Ku De Ta, the ''must see'' live-music venue of Bali. I met the two Australian chefs and one South African, who told me about Gado Gado restaurant further down the beach. All these places face the hibiscus-hued sunsets.

Chez Gado Gado is a chic high-end venue with a recently rebuilt traditional Balinese building and timber deck with views over the Indian Ocean. Executive chef is the Dutch Quirijn (known as Quib) Rademaker.

Four years ago, at Pelaga on the fertile slopes of central Bali, he developed a kitchen garden. This is to the north of Ubud, Bali's cultural village of artisans, where Janet De Neefe author of Fragrant Rice runs her well-known cooking school and restaurants Casa Luna and Indus, and where the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary is home to hundreds of long-tailed macaques living among the towering nutmeg trees and three holy temples. At Ubud, too, is the Agung Rai Museum of Art where grand Balinese-style buildings stand in lush gardens with water canals and a working rice field overlooked by the Warung Kopi or coffee meeting place.

At the rice terraces of Tagallalang, north of Ubud, you can sit at the charming Teras Padi and eat Balinese rice dishes. The harvest had just taken place and August is the time of the winds when rice farmers fly huge kites above the fields.

Further north, at Pelaga, Quib Rademaker has a 3000 square metre greenhouse and one hectare of fertile farmland. From Holland, Rademaker brought seeds of varieties of nasturtiums, carrot, radish and garden cress. They are assessing how celeriac, artichokes and parsnip will deal with the climate and the soil.

The August-September harvest includes Japanese melon, different varieties of pumpkin, zucchini, eggplant, a range of tomatoes and capsicums, rucola, roman lettuce, strawberries, and beans, peas and sprouts. Herbs including coriander, basil, tarragon, rosemary, thyme, dill and chervil are growing well.

Crops are harvested daily and taken to the restaurant at Seminyak by car.

Mustard/dill dressing

Mix together 1 tablespoon each of Dijon mustard, palm sugar and chopped dill.

Tomato vinaigrette

3 tomatoes

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp chopped basil

salt/sugar to taste

Boil the tomatoes for 15 seconds and transfer to iced water. Remove the skin, cut into quarters and take the seeds out. Roast the quarters until they start browning. Chop very finely and mix with a balsamic vinegar, mix in olive oil, salt and sugar if needed.

Pesto

handful of basil

1 tbsp pinenuts

1 clove garlic

1 tsp parmesan cheese

lemon juice

good-quality olive oil

Blanch the basil for 30 seconds and transfer to iced water. Press out the water and chop small. Put with all the other ingredients into a blender. Add olive oil until you have a smooth green paste.

Jerusalem artichoke puree

Jerusalem artichokes

milk

1 tbsp butter

water

pepper, salt

Peel the artichokes and cover with half milk, half water and the butter, add a little salt and cover the pan. Cook for about 30 minutes or until completely soft. Transfer the artichokes to a blender and blend until smooth. If too thick add a little of the cooking liquid.

Peanut sauce

200g peanuts

1 tbsp sliced garlic

1 red chilli, small

1 big red chilli

2 tbsp chopped shallot

1 tsp chopped ginger

coconut milk

2 tbsp sweet soy sauce

2 tbsp palm sugar

juice of 1 kaffir lime

Saute all the spices. Fry the peanuts. Then transfer to a blender and mix with the rest of the ingredients. When smooth, boil for about 10 minutes.

Crispy rice

Soak organic rice overnight in cold water. The following day cook until medium. Spread out on a big tray. Leave to dry under a hot lamp until completely dry.

Heat oil in a small pan until 170 degrees. Put the dry rice in the oil until it starts to pop like popcorn. Remove to paper tissue to drain and season generously with salt. Keep in an airtight container for up to one week.

Seasonal vegetables

Peel and blanch carrots and asparagus, remove tops and blanch baby beans and soy beans, cut zucchini in long strips and grill quickly, palm hearts left raw and sliced, raw thick slices of yam beans then cut in cylinders with a small metal ring. Raw thinly sliced red radish sliced with a mandoline, pearl onions cut in two then slowly roasted in a medium oven until golden brown and soft.

To assemble

Make stripes over the plate with each of the dressings and vinaigrettes. Heat all the vegetables in butter with a little salt and pepper - do not brown the butter. When warm add a little water to make a butter emulsion. Remove from the pan and place on the plate. Add nasturtium flowers and leaves, dill and chervil and finish with a teaspoon of crispy rice. Heat the peanut sauce and serve on the side.

Recipe from Restaurant Gado Gado, Seminyak.

Susan Parsons is a Canberra writer. She visited Bali at her own expense.