Indonesian Spice Pastes: Base Genep, Yellow, Red and White
Get to know Indonesia's base spice pastes: Balinese base genep, yellow, red and white pastes, and how to make a week's supply ahead.
Many regional Indonesian dishes start from a handful of ground base spice pastes. Once you know these pastes by heart, everyday cooking becomes much quicker and ancestral flavours are easier to keep.
Base genep: Bali's complete paste
In Balinese, genep means complete. Base genep contains almost every kitchen spice: shallots, garlic, chilli, turmeric, kencur (aromatic ginger), ginger, galangal, candlenuts, coriander seed, pepper and shrimp paste, often with lemongrass. It is used in many Balinese dishes such as ayam betutu, lawar and tum ayam.
Base genep is marked by clear notes of kencur and turmeric and a strong, fragrant heat. It is usually fried in coconut oil until cooked before use.
Yellow paste (bumbu kuning)
Shallots, garlic, turmeric, candlenuts, ginger and galangal. The yellow comes from turmeric. It is used for yellow fried chicken, yellow fish soup and broths such as siong sira from Sumbawa. Turmeric also colours yellow rice.
Red paste (bumbu merah)
Red chillies, shallots, garlic and often tomato. It is used for balado, sambal goreng and spicy stir-fries. It is hot with a little sweetness from the shallots and tomato.
White paste (bumbu putih)
Shallots, garlic, candlenuts and coriander seed, with no chilli or turmeric. It is used for opor, pale coconut milk stews and dishes meant to look clean. It is savoury and gentle.
Making a week's supply
- Grind a large batch, enough for four or five meals.
- Fry it in oil until fragrant and the oil separates. Cooked paste keeps longer than raw.
- Let it cool, then divide it into small containers or an ice cube tray.
- Keep it in the fridge for about a week, or in the freezer for about a month. Always use a clean spoon.
- Label each batch with the paste name and date.
Every home has its own version
Base paste measurements change from region to region, and even from family to family. That is the richness of Indonesian cooking. If your family has its own proportions, write them down and keep them safe. Our guide How to Record Grandma's Recipes shows how.
