Babi Guling Recipe

What is Babi Guling? Babi guling is one of Indonesia’s rarest most delicious dishes. Pork is uncommon in this Muslim majority nation, but we had to include roast suckling pig given the near hysteria it generates on the Hindu island of Bali. The pig is stuffed and infused with a spicy concoction typically involving turmeric, coriander seeds, lemongrass, black pepper and garlic, and traditionally spit-roasted.

Serves 8

Cook time: 2 hours, Prep time: 30 min

Babi Guling Ingredients:

• 2.5 kg piece pork belly (skin on)

• 1½ tbsp salt

• 5 kaffir lime leaves, shredded

• 2 dried salam leaves, crumbled (optional)

• 50 gram finely grated fresh turmeric (or 1 tbsp ground dried turmeric) mixed with 125ml water, strained, solids discarded

Spice paste

• 80 gram fresh turmeric, chopped

• 12 birdseye chillies, chopped

• 8 golden shallots, chopped

• 5 large garlic cloves

• 2 large lemongrass stalks, (white part only), chopped

• 10 grams  ginger, chopped

• 2 tbsp coriander seeds, crushed

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil

• 1 tbsp black peppercorns, crushed

• 1 tbsp chopped galangal

• 1 tsp ground kencur

Babi Guling preparation:

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. Preheat oven to 200C

4. 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.

5. 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 for 30 min.

6. Place pork on a rack in a baking dish and roast until skin crackles for 30 min

7. 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  for an hour and 15 min.

8. Pull it out the oven and let it sit out allowing the fat to settle for about 10 minutes.

9. Remove satay sticks or string and slice the meat