RECIPE

Base Be Pasih: The Balinese Seafood Spice Paste That Makes the Ocean Sing

A fragrant, chilli-forward Balinese spice paste built specifically for fish and seafood. Learn what goes in it, how to grind it the island way, and how to use it.

MyGlob Editorial June 4, 2026 1 min read
Base Be Pasih: The Balinese Seafood Spice Paste That Makes the Ocean Sing

Walk past a beachside warung in Jimbaran at dusk and the smell that pulls you in is base be pasih at work. Be pasih means 'sea fish' in Balinese, and this is the spice paste built for everything the ocean gives up: snapper, mackerel, prawns, squid, clams. It is brighter and more chilli-forward than the heavier base gede used for meat, with a citrus lift that cuts through oily fish and keeps shellfish tasting fresh rather than muddy.

Ingredients

  • 12 large red chillies, deseeded if you want it milder
  • 8 small bird's eye chillies (cabe rawit) for heat — use fewer to start
  • 10 shallots, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 6 cloves garlic
  • A 5 cm piece of fresh turmeric, peeled (or 1 tsp ground turmeric)
  • A 4 cm piece of fresh ginger
  • A 4 cm piece of fresh galangal (laos), peeled
  • 2 stalks lemongrass, white parts only, bruised and chopped
  • 1 tsp shrimp paste (terasi), toasted
  • 4 candlenuts (kemiri), lightly toasted (or macadamia as a substitute)
  • 1 tsp coriander seeds, toasted and ground
  • Zest and juice of 1 kaffir lime (or regular lime)
  • 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp palm sugar (gula merah)
  • 4–5 tbsp coconut or vegetable oil for frying off
  • Frying the paste properly is non-negotiable. An under-cooked base tastes raw and harsh; a slow-fried one tastes round and deep.
  • Store in a clean jar with a thin film of oil on top. It keeps about two weeks in the fridge and freezes beautifully in ice-cube portions.
  • Fresh turmeric stains everything yellow, including your hands and chopping board. Wear gloves or accept the temporary glow.
  • Adjust chilli to your tolerance. Authentic Balinese heat is serious, but a milder paste is still delicious and far more usable for everyday cooking.
  • Always toast the terasi. Used raw it can overpower the whole paste with a sharp, fishy note.

Method

  1. 1Like all Balinese basa (spice pastes), this is not a sauce you pour on at the end. It is a foundation. You smear it over fish before grilling, fry it off as the base of a curry, or fold it through sambal. Make a batch and you have the soul of half a dozen seafood dishes ready in a jar.
  2. 2This makes roughly one medium jar, enough to season about a kilogram of fish or seafood. Quantities are a starting point. Balinese cooks adjust by eye and tongue, so taste as you go.
  3. 3Step 1 — Toast the aromatics. Dry-toast the candlenuts and coriander seeds in a pan over low heat until fragrant, a couple of minutes, then set aside. Wrap the shrimp paste in foil and toast it for a minute on each side; this tames the raw funk and brings out its savoury depth.
  4. 4Step 2 — Grind. Traditionally this is pounded in a stone mortar (batu base), starting with the hardest ingredients first: galangal, ginger, turmeric, lemongrass and candlenuts. Add the chillies, shallots and garlic, then the shrimp paste, coriander, salt and sugar. Pound to a coarse, glossy paste. A food processor works too — pulse rather than puree so it keeps some texture.
  5. 5Step 3 — Fry it off. Heat the oil in a wok or heavy pan over medium-low. Add the paste and cook it slowly, stirring often, for 10–15 minutes. This is the most important step: you are cooking out the raw garlic-and-shallot edge and concentrating the flavour. It is ready when the oil separates and rises around the paste and the colour deepens to a burnished orange-red.
  6. 6Step 4 — Finish. Stir in the kaffir lime zest and a squeeze of juice off the heat so the citrus stays bright. Taste and balance — more salt for savouriness, a touch more sugar to round out the heat. Let it cool completely.
  7. 7For grilled fish (ikan bakar), rub the cooled paste generously inside and out, leave it for 30 minutes, then char over coals. For a quick seafood curry, fry a couple of spoonfuls of paste, add coconut milk and a handful of prawns or clams, and simmer until just cooked. Folded through steamed greens or stir-fried with squid, it turns a plain plate into something unmistakably Balinese.
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Quick Answer

Base Be Pasih is the Balinese spice paste designed specifically for fish and seafood, built on chili, shallots, garlic, turmeric, ginger, galangal and lemongrass. It is fried into a fragrant base, then used to marinate or simmer seafood, giving grilled and curried fish its signature Balinese flavour.

Key Facts
Cuisine
Balinese / Indonesian
Type
Spice paste (bumbu / base)
Best For
Fish and seafood
Key Spices
Turmeric, ginger, galangal, lemongrass
Region
Bali, Indonesia
Key Takeaways
  • A seafood-specific Balinese spice paste (base genep family) for fish and shellfish
  • Core aromatics include chili, shallots, garlic, turmeric, ginger, galangal and lemongrass
  • Fried slowly to bloom the spices before being added to seafood
  • Used to marinate grilled fish, simmer curries and season sambals
  • Pairs perfectly with grilled snapper, prawns and Jimbaran-style seafood
Frequently Asked Questions
It is a Balinese aromatic spice paste created specifically for seasoning fish and seafood dishes.