“This journey took me into the kitchens, homes and hearts of those who’ve shaped my heritage. Beyond Bali is a series of discovery, flavours, memory and belonging – and reveals a side of Indonesia I’m so proud to share,” says food writer and chef Lara Lee of making her new show.
This engaging adventure goes beyond the usual tourist hotspots, inviting viewers into the heart of the archipelago. From the untouched beaches of Lombok to the ancient, sacred traditions of Sumba, the joyous food cultures of Flores and the powerful ancestral stories of West Timor, this eight-part food and travel series shares an intimate look at Indonesia. Along the way, Lara dives into local food cultures, meets local chefs, eats fantastic food and cooks up her own great dishes.
Lara with Chef Putu Dodik in Bali. Credit: Johannes P Kusumo
What happens in Beyond Bali with Lara Lee?
Exploing the landscapes and food of Bali, Lombok, Sumba, Flores and West Timor, Lara connects with local communities, cooking and tasting unforgettable meals and uncovering deeply personal connections to her own family heritage.
Lara with her Aunty Kristina and Aunty Tje. Credit: Johannes P Kusumo
With her vibrant warmth and humour, she offers a fresh and intimate perspective on one of the world’s most diverse and surprising archipelagos. From a meet-up with Bali's beloved "tempeh man", an artisan producer of this fermented staple, to crafting clay woks with Sasak women potters in southern Lombok and cooking in the gently swaying galley of a boat off the coast of the spectular island of Flores, this is a journey that you'll love to follow along with.
Where can I watch Beyond Bali with Lara Lee?
Eight-part series Beyond Bali premieres 7.30pm Thursday 25 September on SBS Food and streaming free on SBS On Demand, with an encore at 5.30pm on Sundays on SBS Food. Look out for new episodes each week.
Who is Lara Lee?
Lara in the gardens at Tandjung Sari hotel, Bali. Credit: Johannes P Kusumo
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What recipes does Lara Lee share in Beyond Bali?
The dishes Lara cooks up are as inviting and varied as the places she visits. On the first leg of her adventure, she visits Bali, where she cooks babur ayam, an Indonesia chicken porridge, with chef Nyoman Wirata and pitak cantok, a fresh vegetable salad, with chef and restaurant owner Wayan Kresna Yasa. As her travels take her to other islands, villages and kitchens, she meets local cooks and makes more local favourites, from Lombok's famous barbecued chicken, ayam taliwang, to breakfast coconut pancakes and prawn curry.
Udang bumbu rujak, a sweet and spicy prawn curry that Lara Lee learns to make on the island of Lombok. Credit: Johannes P Kusumo
What does Lara Lee discover in her new series?
"Each island on my journey revealed something exciting and new – not just about the cuisine, but about myself," she says. "In Bali, I learned how faith and farming are interwoven through sacred rice rituals. In Lombok, I discovered a surprisingly intertwined Peranakan Chinese culture. In Sumba, I uncovered ancient communities bound by simple nourishing traditions and food. In Flores, I revelled in the vibrant vivid spirit of its coastal and mountain people, with their love of celebration and feasting. Throughout, I found strength in the women leading sustainability and food security initiatives in tight-knit communities. Finally, in West Timor – my father’s birthplace – I stood in my grandmother’s untouched kitchen, opened her handwritten recipe book and felt my heritage come vividly alive. These were not just culinary experiences, but deeply emotional encounters that reminded me of how food connects us across generations and cultures."
Episode Summary
Episode 1: Bali
In this vibrant opening episode, Lara Lee begins her epic island-hopping journey in Bali. Immersing herself in the island’s deep spirituality, rich culinary heritage and dazzling street life, Lara reconnects with her roots, learning to make nostalgic dishes including bubur ayam with local chefs. She also discovers bold modern takes on saté, explores the healing power of sacred water temples and explores the global potential of Indonesia’s super food, tempeh.
Bubur ayam. Credit: Rob Gunn
Episode 2: Bali (continued)
Lara leaves the island’s famous coastline behind and heads into Bali’s fertile mountainous heart, where rice, ritual and religion have shaped life for millennia. In the UNESCO-listed paddy fields of Mupu, Lara meets Kandi, a rice farmer whose family has cultivated the land for generations. Kandi guides Lara to the temple spring that feeds his fields, and which is part of the island’s sacred subak irrigation system. It’s a vibrant insight into how, for the Balinese, growing rice is a deeply spiritual act, guided by ancient traditions. In Ubud, Lara meets visionary chefs who are reimagining traditional dishes, joins a royal family in preparing festival feasts and takes part in the Galungan celebrations.
Episode 3: Lombok
Lara continues her island-hopping journey in Lombok, where bold flavours and a rich blend of cultures collide. In the bustling capital, Mataram, she dives into markets and street food stalls, before learning the secrets of barbequed pepes ikan from legendary home cook Ibu Zaza. At Hotel Tugu, she teams up with chilli-loving Chef Manik to create a fresh prawn curry. Venturing north, Lara joins local Sasak journalist, Siska Denda, to harvest river-grown water spinach (kangkung) and cook it up for lunch. Along the way, she uncovers the island’s layered history – from ancient mosques to traditional herbal tonics – and begins to piece together a deeper understanding of her own ancestry.
Lara Lee in Beyond Bali with Lara Lee Credit: Johannes P Kusumo
In the sun-drenched south coast of Lombok, Lara uncovers a world shaped by the sea. She breakfasts on freshly caught mackerel, barbequed beachside over a fire, crafts clay woks with Sasak women potters and samples some of Lombok’s most famous regional dishes. Alongside local changemakers, she explores how women are restoring land and livelihoods through weaving and regenerative farming. From spicy street snacks to Lombok’s legendary chicken Taliwang, Lara learns that Lombok’s true heat lies not just in its food, but in the fierce strength and generosity of its people.
Episode 5: Sumba
Arriving on the wild and ancient island of Sumba, Lara discovers a unique culture where food, faith and ancestry are powerfully intertwined. Welcomed into traditional villages, where ancestor-worship still guides daily life and rituals, Lara finds the beating heart of one of the world’s last great megalithic cultures. She joins a young chef to prepare corn rice, with anchovies and local greens – and connects with Sumba’s most revered animal, the horse. At Makan Dulu, a hospitality school and restaurant that is training a new generation of chefs and transforming the lives of young Sumbanese villagers, Lara joins a class as they learn to make one of Indonesia’s most loved treats, pisang goreng, or fried banana, served with cheese and chocolate. A beachside goat feast and a surprise encounter with young horseback warriors-in-training close a journey that’s as flavourful as it is unforgettable.
Pisang goreng. Credit: Johannes P Kusumo
On the dramatic coastline of Flores, dragons roam, fishing traditions thrive and water is the heartbeat of life. Setting sail from the vibrant port of Labuan Bajo, Lara experiences life on board a traditional wooden trading ship, a phinisi. Traversing the crystalline waters of the World Heritage Komodo National Park, she treks through remote islands that are home to the prehistoric Komodo dragon and explores ancient fishing villages. Along the way, she dines on fresh grilled squid, and undertakes her first galley cook on board a boat, adapting one of her favourite recipes, tempeh penyet, to help feed the guests and crew. From Catholic cathedrals to Muslim Makassan seafarers, Lara finds a place of vivid contrasts and sparkling adventure.
Episode 7: Flores (continued)
In the misty highlands of West Flores, Lara Lee immerses herself in the deeply-rooted Manggarai culture of the island’s Indigenous mountain folk, where food connects land, spirit and community. At Labuan Bajo’s vivid produce market, Lara meets paddock-to-plate restaurateur, Michael Agung, who treats her to a breakfast of sweet coconut rice pancakes and smoky palm sugar syrup. Following his advice, she heads into the hills to meet the villagers, farmers and foragers preserving ancient ways of life. Checking into the peaceful Sten Lodge, she meets owner Liz Yani, who grew up in one of Flores’ traditional villages, and is now a proponent of Manggarai food and philosophy. “We believe food connects us to our ancestors,” Liz explains, as Lara begins to understand the island’s reverence for cooking as a sacred act.
Lara with Liz Yani. Credit: Johannes P Kusumo
Lara returns to her father’s birthplace in West Timor – uncovering the family legacy of bold flavours that shaped her. In Kupang, she sees the home where her father grew up, and where her grandmother once cooked, rediscovering some of her grandmother’s lost recipes. From roadside pork smokehouses to beachside fish barbecues on nearby Rote Island, Lara dives deep into the culinary soul of Timor. Cooking cherished family favourites with her aunties, and learning sizzling beef secrets from her father’s best friend, Lara closes her journey with laughter and a heart that is full of the joy of coming home.
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