Famous dishes from Bali: Bebek betutu

Bebek betutu (roast duck) is one of the most famous dishes in Bali. Balinese people themselves may cook it for a special occasion and its not really an everyday dish. Some restaurants in Bali offer bebek betutu, with the request you order a day in advance, due to the preparation time.

Balinese Roast Duck

Ingredients

• 1 duck, whole
• 18 shallots, peeled
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled
• 3 stalks lemon grass
• 5 kaffir lime leaves
• 6 candlenuts
• 2″ ginger, peeled
• 3″ fresh turmeric, peeled
• 3″ kencur, peeled
• 5 Thai chilies
• 1 tsp. black peppercorns
• 1 tsp. coriander seeds
• 2 tsp. shrimp paste
• 1 1/2 tbsp. salt
• 3 tbsp. oil
• banana leaves

Instructions

Place the shallots, garlic, lemon grass, candlenuts, ginger, turmeric, kencur, chilies, peppercorns, coriander seeds, shrimp paste, salt and oil in a blender or food processor and grind into a paste. Wipe the duck dry and rub mixture on the outside. Put remainder mixture into the duck cavity. Close the opening of the duck with a satay skewer. Wrap the duck in banana leaves. Wrap this with aluminum foil and puncture several holes in the bottom. Steam the duck for 50 minutes. Put the duck in a roasting pan and roast at 350f until done.

The flavor of this excellent duck will be even better if the final roasting is done over a slow charcoal fire rather than in the oven; be sure to turn the duck several times if cooking over charcoal.

Make 4-6 servings.