Babi Guling

In Indonesia, roasted pig is called Babi Guling or babi panggang / babi bakar especially in non-Muslim majority provinces such as Hindu Bali and Christian Batak lands in North Sumatra, Minahasa people of North Sulawesi, Toraja in South Sulawesi, Papua, and also among Chinese Indonesians.

In Bali, this is usually served with lawar and steamed rice in popular Balinese restaurants and warungs. The Balinese respect their food and lavish attention on its preparation. Before spit-roasting the pig they bath it in coconut water and rub it with chili, turmeric, garlic and ginger to ensure succulence.

In Batak tradition, it is a prerequisite in wedding offering for the bride family. In Papua, pigs and yams are roasted in heated stones filled in the hole dug on the ground and covered with leaves, this cooking method is called bakar batu (burning the stone), and it is an important cultural and social event among Papuan people.

How to Make Babi Guling

Ingredients

1.5kg pork belly, rind scored
2 1/2 tbs olive oil
300ml coconut milk
100g bean shoots
2 tsp kecap manis
A bunch of bok choy, boiled and drained
2 tsp shallot oil
Steamed jasmine rice, to serve

Spice Paste (Base Gede)
Juice of 1 lime
4 long red chillies, deseeded
1 stalk of lemongrass,  white part only, bruised and finely chopped
4 green spring onions (white tender part only) roughly chopped
2 cloves of garlic
2cm piece of fresh ginger, finely chopped
2 cm piece of galangal, finely chopped
1 tbs ground tumeric
1 tbs ground coriander seeds
1 tbs vegetable oil
1 tbs palm sugar
2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp shrimp paste
1/2 tsp salt

Sambal (For the bean shoots)
4 green spring onions (the green part)
2 small red chillies, deseeded
2 cloves of garlic
1 cm piece of fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 lemongrass (white tender part only), bruised and finely chopped
2 fresh lime leaves
1/2 tsp shrimp paste
Juice of 1/2 lime
1 tbs vegetable oil
1/2 tsp salt
pinch of ground black pepper

Direction

1) Preheat oven to 240 C.

2) To make spice paste, process all ingredients in a blender to form a smooth paste. Reserve 1/4 cup for the sauce.

3) Lightly prick the meat side of pork with a sharp knife or skewer and rub in spice paste in a thick layer. Roll lengthways and secure at several intervals with butchers string. Place in a baking dish. Rub salt into skin.

4) Roast for 20 minutes. Reduce oven to 175 C and cook for a further 1 hour 15 minutes or until tender and cooked through. Remove from oven. Rest lightly covered with foil for 30 minutes.

5) To make sauce, heat 2 teaspoons of the oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add reserved spice paste. Cook for 5 minutes or until fragrant. Stir in coconut milk and juices from rested pork. Bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes.

6) To make sambal, process all ingredients until smooth.

7) Cook bean shoots in a saucepan of boiling salted water until tender. Drain and set aside. Heat a lightly oiled frying pan. Cook sambal until fragrant. Add bean shoots and toss to combine. Stir in kecap manis.

8) In the same pot of water, boil the bok choy until tender, drain and place in a bowl. Add the shallot oil and toss it well.

8) To serve, slice the pork into 1-inch pieces and serve on hot steamed jasmine rice with the sambal bean shoots, bok choy and lots of sauce.