Ingredients
Base gede (spice paste)
- 12shallots
- 10 clovesgarlic
- 8red chillies, deseeded
- 5cm fresh turmeric, or 1 tbsp ground
- 5cm galangal
- 5cm ginger
- 2 tspcoriander seed, toasted
- 1 tspwhite peppercorns
- 1 tspshrimp paste (terasi), toasted
- 3candlenuts
- 2 stalkslemongrass, white parts
- 1 tspsalt
- 4 tbspcoconut oil
Pork
- 3 kgboneless pork belly, skin on, in one piece
- 2 tbspsalt
- 1 tbspground turmeric
- 2 tbspcoconut oil
- 4salam leaves or bay leaves
- 1 stalklemongrass, bruised
To serve
- steamed rice
- lawar (spiced vegetable salad)
- sambal matah
Directions
- Blend all the base gede ingredients except the oil to a smooth paste. Fry it in the coconut oil over medium-low heat for 15–20 minutes, stirring, until it darkens, the raw garlic smell is gone and the oil separates out. Cool completely.
- Lay the pork belly skin down. Score the meat side in a criss-cross about 1 cm deep and rub two thirds of the cooled paste deep into the cuts with the salam leaves and bruised lemongrass.
- Roll the belly into a tight cylinder with the skin outside and tie firmly at 3 cm intervals with butcher’s string.
- Prick the skin all over with a sharp skewer, hundreds of times, going through the skin but not into the meat. Rub the skin with the salt and turmeric.
- Leave uncovered in the fridge overnight. The skin must be bone dry before it meets heat, and this is what produces crackling rather than leather.
- Roast at 160°C (325°F) for 2 hr 30 min, basting the meat ends but never the skin.
- Raise the oven to 220°C (425°F) for a final 25–35 minutes, turning the roll so the skin blisters evenly all round. Watch it: it goes from golden to burnt quickly at this stage.
- Rest 20 minutes before cutting the string. Carve into rounds so each slice has crackling, meat and spice paste, and serve with rice, lawar and sambal matah.
Technique
- Frying the base gede properly is the whole flavour of Balinese pork. An underfried paste tastes raw and harsh no matter how long the pig roasts.
- Dry skin, pricked thoroughly, salted. Those three things make crackling, and no amount of high heat compensates if the skin is damp.
- Never baste the skin. One wet basting brush undoes the overnight drying.
Substitutions
- A whole suckling pig is the authentic form, spit-roasted over coconut husks; a rolled belly is the domestic version.
- Macadamia nuts replace candlenuts, which are hard to find and mildly toxic raw.
Variations
- Served with pork blood sausage and crisp intestine at a Balinese warung, as part of the full plate.
- A version with the paste loosened with coconut milk and served as a sauce alongside.
History
Balinese spit-roast suckling pig stuffed with spice paste, a Hindu ceremonial dish and a marker of Bali’s difference from Muslim-majority Indonesia.
Frequently asked questions
What is Babi Guling?
Babi Guling is a main from Indonesia: balinese spice-stuffed roast suckling pig with crackling. Balinese spit-roast suckling pig stuffed with spice paste, a Hindu ceremonial dish and a marker of Bali’s difference from Muslim-majority Indonesia.
How long does Babi Guling take to make?
Babi Guling takes 1 hr plus overnight marinating of preparation and 3 hr 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 8 servings. It is rated hard to make.
What can I substitute in Babi Guling?
Yes, within limits. A whole suckling pig is the authentic form, spit-roasted over coconut husks; a rolled belly is the domestic version. Macadamia nuts replace candlenuts, which are hard to find and mildly toxic raw.
What is the most important thing to get right in Babi Guling?
Leave uncovered in the fridge overnight. The skin must be bone dry before it meets heat, and this is what produces crackling rather than leather.
