One of the most famous delicacies from Hindu Bali, babi guling, or spit-roasted suckling pig, is a firm favourite for any visitor to the island. Tender and delicious with perfect crackling, the pigs roasted in Bali often weigh 6kg-8kg. The traditional method of making this dish is to rub the cavity with a mixture of spices and sometimes tapioca leaves, then rub the skin with turmeric juice before roasting. As this option is not readily accessible to the home cook, I have come up with this version using pork belly. In fact, you can use just about any cut of pork.
Ingredients
Spice paste
Method
Main
1.Rub pork belly skin and meat with salt and set aside.
2.For spice paste, process ingredients and 1 tsp fine sea salt in a food processor until a fine paste forms.
3.Place pork skin-side down on a work surface. Spread over spice paste, sprinkle lime leaves and salam leaves along one long side, then roll to form a long cylinder. Secure with satay sticks or tie at intervals with kitchen string. Brush rind with turmeric juice and leave to marinate in a draughty cool place to dry skin (30 minutes).
4.Preheat oven to 200C. Place pork on a rack in a baking dish and roast until skin crackles (30 minutes), then reduce oven to 175C and baste occasionally with pan juices until juices run clear when the thickest part of the pork is pierced with a skewer (1-1½ hours). Rest in a warm place to allow fat to settle (10 minutes). Remove satay sticks or string. Cut away the crackling, thickly slice the meat and serve hot.
Note Salam leaves, or duan salam, are sold dried and are essential in Indonesian cooking. Bay leaves are sometimes suggested as a substitute, but they have a completely different flavour and shouldn’t be used in place of salam leaves. If you cannot find salam leaves, omit altogether. Ground kencur, or kaempferia galanga, is a ground spice with white pepper and ginger tones. Salam leaves and ground kencur are available from Asian grocers.
