The Saturday Kitchen — Cheat’s Babi Guling (Balinese Roast Pork)

I may have dined in many famous, much-awarded restaurants around the world and eaten fabulous food by a myriad celebrated chefs. But the restaurant that has been haunting me for weeks and held me in its grip is Warung Rebo in Bali. Since dining there, the babi guling is something I have wanted to try to replicate. And I’m pleased to announce that I have finally attempted it! It is my own ‘cheat’s version’, and is based on Chef Heinz von Holzen’s recipe in the book ‘Bali Unveiled’.

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I have worked with Chef Heinz before, editing one of his books ‘The Street Food of Bali’. He is a delightful, hugely knowledgeable chef who has been living in Bali for well over 25 years, after having been the executive chef in Hyatt Singapore. If you want to try authentic Balinese food in a modern restaurant setting, or learn Balinese cooking, go to his restaurant Bumbu Bali in Nusa Dua, Bali.

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Anyway, I took his recipe which calls for a whole pig — his is totally authentic — and scaled it down to a 1.2 kg piece of pork belly. Did some short cuts on the marinade ingredients as well, and tested it out finally. For a first attempt, the result was very good. The crackling — so difficult to achieve — was thin, crisp and snapped into shards and the meat was moist, thanks I think to the fatty cut of the meat.

I served this to guests with the green bean and coconut lawar, a chilli and tomato sambal, and white rice. I am well pleased with this, and hope you’d be curious enough to try. 🙂

Babi guling group

Cheat's Babi Guling

Difficulty: Easy
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Serves 4-6 people

It’s actually an easy dish to make. The effort is mainly in pounding the herbs and spices for the marinade. After that, it’s just a matter of marinating and roasting it.

1.2 kg piece of pork belly, ask for a slightly thinner piece

Marinade
1 Tbsp salt or to taste
40 g shallots
20 g cloves garlic
20 g ginger, cut into smaller pieces
50 g candlenuts
20 g galangal (blue ginger)
2 lemongrass
4 birds’ eye chilli
1 Tbsp ground turmeric
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
3-4 kaffir lime leaves
1 generous tsp belacan, wrapped in foil and roasted in a dry pan
1 Tbsp oil

Method
• Scrub the pork down with 2 teaspoons of salt and wash the salt away. Pat dry, poke holes into the skin, then set it aside, skin side up.

• Now make the marinade. Pound all the ingredients in a pestle & mortar. (You can use an electric chopper and whizz it coarsely, but I prefer to pound it in a traditional mortar and pestle as the crushing and grinding motion gets the flavours and oils out better.)

• Coat the pork thoroughly with the marinade, then roll and tie it up with string. Leave it thus to marinate for at least 2 hours (but overnight is best).
• Preheat the oven to 240°C. Put the pork on a roasting rack, and roast for 20-25 mins. Then turn the oven down to 170°C and leave it to roast for another hour.
• Take it out and let it rest for 15 minutes then slice it thickly and serve.

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Published by The Runaway Palate

A Singapore-based food & travel writer and published children's book author. Blogging about food, cooking, travel, random musings and maybe some historical stuff. View all posts by The Runaway Palate