Traditional Indonesian food: BABI GULING

Indonesia, the land of flavour fiestas, serves up a delicious platter of dishes reflecting its lively culture. Today, we’ve got Babi Guling, a Balinese dish with a porky personality. This dish consists out of tender roast pork with an ensemble of exquisite flavours and, a crispy, delicious skin.

---

Recipe: Babi Guling

---

Babi guling is an iconic Indonesian dish enjoyed by pork enthusiasts🐽, and it’s a beloved specialty that many warungs include on the menu. So, when visiting Indonesia, you should definitely try this dish. It is a true treasure of the country.

🍽️ Babi Guling: Ingredients for 8 portions

➡️ Pork:

• 2000 g boneless pork shoulder
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon ground turmeric

➡️ For the Base Gede (spice paste):

• 80 g Fresh Turmeric
• 12 birdseye chillis
• 8 shallots
• 10 garlic cloves
• 10 gram ginger
• 2 lemongrass stalks (white part only)
• 2 tablespoons Ground Coriander
• 40 gram olive oil (or vegetable oil)
• 1 tablespoons black peppercorns
• 5 Kaffir lime leaves
• 2 Curry Leaves

🐖 Steps to take to make Babi Guling:

• Step 1: Prepare the Pork

The evening before you plan to cook, remove any strings from the pork shoulder and place it on a tray. Pat the surface of the pork dry with a paper towel and refrigerate it uncovered. This step is crucial for achieving that perfect, crispy crackling. However, If you’re pressed for time or tend to procrastinate (like many of us do😉), even leaving the pork uncovered in the fridge for at least 3 hours will also give you a crackling result.

• Step 2: Blend the Base Gede (spice paste)

1. Combine the spice paste ingredients in the bowl, and blend for 30 seconds at speed 9. Don’t forget to scrape down the sides, and continue blending for an additional 30 seconds at speed 9. Keep blending until the result is a gorgeous, smooth paste.
2. This spice paste recipe yields enough for two roasts, giving you the option to freeze half of it for future use. (And if, like me, you occasionally find yourself a bit clumsy in the kitchen, having extra on hand can be a lifesaver!)

• Step 3: Marinating the pork🐖

1. Keep the pork’s skin dry at all times. Lay down some paper towels on your kitchen bench and gently place the pork, skin side down, like it’s having a spa day.
2. Make some long deep cuts in the flesh vertically across the shoulder, don’t cut all the way through to the skin; we’re not looking for a punk rock pig with a mohawk.
3. Rub the spice paste you made all over the pork, from head to toe, and get it deep into the cuts you made.
4. It’s time to accessorize! Use metal skewers to hold the pork roast together and keep the paste from making a run for it.
5. Carefully turn the pork back over onto the tray with the skin’s side up.
6. Next, give the pig a rubdown with a mix of 1 tablespoon of turmeric and 1 tablespoon of salt.
7. Let it marinate in the fridge for a few hours, but if you’re feeling really impatient, go ahead and throw it in the oven right away.

• Step 4: Cooking the Pork

1. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius.
2. Gently place your pork shoulder in the oven, and let it mingle with the heat for 30 minutes at 220 degrees. Then reduce oven to 160 degrees. We’re setting the mood for a long, flavourful journey.
3. Cook for 2.5 hours on 160 degrees. Put a tray of water on the bottom shelf of the oven to keep the pork nice and moist.
4. Crank up the oven to 220 on fan grill mode and place your pork shoulder on the bottom stage. Watch the skin puff up and get crispy, this will take about 5 minutes so keep an eye on it!
5. The grand finale! Let your pork exit the oven and cover it loosely with foil. It needs a well-deserved 30-minute break, we all do, don’t we?
6. Slice the pork into bite-sized pieces. Then, let the pan juices flow over the pork.
7. Serve your masterpiece with rice, Asian veggies, cauliflower mash, garlic beans, or whatever strikes your fancy. It’s your kitchen, the culinary stage is all yours!😋

✔️ And, as with any culinary adventure, there are countless ways to put your own twist on this dish. Embrace your inner kitchen artist, get creative, and craft your very own unique version!

Selamat makan semuanya! 😋 ⠀

Do you want to book a trip to Indonesia to come and taste Babi Guling? We can help you, planning your trip!🙏
Feel free to take a look on our website, click here!