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Balinese spiced roast pork belly (babi guling style)
Skin-on pork belly rubbed with turmeric base genep, slow-roasted and blasted for crackling, with sambal matah
Babi guling is the great feast dish of Bali for Galungan and temple ceremonies: at the festival, a whole pig is stuffed with spice paste and turned on a spit over a wood fire for hours. This home version uses a slab of skin-on pork belly instead, with the same base genep stuffing rubbed into the meat and the same goal: tender, spice-soaked pork under crisp, golden crackling. Turmeric, galangal, lemongrass and chilli give it heat and a bright yellow colour, and the pork fat keeps every slice juicy. Serve it sliced with steamed rice, a little of the cooked spice from the tin, long beans and a sharp, fresh sambal matah. Chef's tip: leave the skin uncovered in the fridge overnight; a really dry skin is the secret of crackling that shatters.
- Total time
- 360 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the pork
- 3 ⅓ lb skin-on boneless pork bellyin one slab, skin scored at 1 cm intervals
- 1 tbsp coarse saltfor the skin
- 1 tsp ground turmericmixed with 2 tbsp water
For the base genep rub
- 10 shallotspeeled
- 1 ⅜ oz fresh turmericpeeled, sliced
- 1 oz galangalsliced
- ⅔ oz fresh gingersliced
- ⅔ oz kencur (aromatic ginger)or 15 g extra galangal
- 3 lemongrass stalkstender part, sliced
- 5 candlenutsor macadamia nuts
- 2 tsp coriander seedstoasted
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 1 tsp shrimp pastetoasted
- 2 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp coconut oil
- 6 makrut lime leavesfinely shredded
For the sambal matah
- 4 shallotsthinly sliced
- 2 lemongrass stalkstender part, very thinly sliced
- 3 bird's eye chilliesthinly sliced
- 3 makrut lime leavesvery finely shredded
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 3 tbsp coconut oil
- ½ tsp salt
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Method
0/11 doneStep 1: The day before, pat the 3 ⅓ lb skin-on boneless pork belly completely dry, rub 1 tbsp coarse salt into the scored skin and leave it skin-side up, uncovered, on a rack in the fridge overnight.
10 minStep 2: Blend 10 shallots, 8 garlic cloves, 1 ⅜ oz fresh turmeric, 1 oz galangal, ⅔ oz fresh ginger, ⅔ oz kencur (aromatic ginger), 3 lemongrass stalks, 5 candlenuts, 6 large red chillies, 4 bird's eye chillies, 2 tsp coriander seeds, 1 tsp black peppercorns, 1 tsp shrimp paste, 2 tsp salt and 3 tbsp coconut oil to a coarse paste, then stir in 6 makrut lime leaves.
10 minStep 3: Brush any salt and moisture off the skin. Turn the pork skin-side down and cut deep slashes 3 cm apart into the meat (not through the skin).
5 minStep 4: Push the paste into the slashes and rub it all over the meat side, keeping it off the skin. Common mistake: smearing paste on the skin; it burns and the skin won't crackle.
10 minStep 5: Roll the belly up lengthways with the skin outside (or leave it flat), tie with string every 3 cm, and chill uncovered for 2–4 hours so the spices soak in.
150 minStep 6: Heat the oven to 325°F (275°F fan). Sit the pork skin-side up on a rack in a roasting tin with 200 ml water in the tin, and brush the skin with the 1 tsp ground turmeric water.
5 minStep 7: Roast for 2 hours, until the meat is very tender when pierced with a skewer and reads well above 145°F in the centre (about 85–194°F for soft, sliceable belly). Top up the water if the tin dries out.
120 minStep 8: Pat the skin dry again, turn the oven up to 450°F (400°F fan) and roast for 25–35 minutes, until the skin has blistered all over and sounds hollow and crunchy when tapped. Watch closely in the last 10 minutes.
30 minStep 9: Rest the pork on a board for 15 minutes (at least 3 minutes is needed for safety; longer keeps the juices in).
15 minStep 10: Meanwhile, toss 4 shallots, 2 lemongrass stalks, 3 bird's eye chillies and 3 makrut lime leaves with ½ tsp salt and 2 tbsp lime juice, scrunching with your fingers. Warm 3 tbsp coconut oil until hot, not smoking, and pour it over.
5 minStep 11: Snip the string, slice the pork into thick pieces with a serrated knife, crackling side up, and serve with rice, the spicy juices from the tin and the sambal matah. Keep leftovers in the fridge for 3 days and reheat until piping hot.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 760 kcal
- Protein
- 30 g
- Carbs
- 9 g
- Fat
- 67 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does balinese spiced roast pork belly (babi guling style) take?
- About 360 minutes in total: 180 minutes to prepare and 180 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of ground turmeric?
- Leave it out (it mostly adds colour).
- What can I use instead of shallots?
- Half an onion per 2 shallots.
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