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Balinese Babi Guling, traditional Balinese roast pork
Traditional Balinese roast pork with rich spices

Balinese babi guling

Author: Flavelo
Recipes Main Courses
The secret to Balinese roast pork is 'Bumbu' – a complex spice paste used to stuff and coat the meat. Turmeric provides the distinctive yellow colour and earthy taste, while lemongrass and ginger add freshness. Since we rarely roast a whole pig on a spit at home, this recipe adapts the essence of the technique: slow drying of the skin and spiced steaming of the meat.
🕒 Prep Time 40 mins
🍳 Cook Time 5 hrs
⌛ Total Time 5 hrs 40 mins
🍽️ Servings 20 servings
🔥 Calories 720 kcal
🌍 Cuisine Indonesian

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

  • Mortar or food processor
  • Baking tray with rack
  • Brush

Instructions

1 ✓

Clean the meat. If using meat with skin, wipe the skin dry and prick it with a needle (but don't cut into the meat!), then salt it.

Tip: Pricking helps the fat escape from under the skin, making it crispy rather than 'rubbery'.
2 ✓

Prepare the spice paste (Bumbu): crush the garlic, ginger, turmeric, lemongrass, chilli, sugar, coriander, and coconut oil in a mortar or food processor.

Tip: The paste should be creamy and intensely fragrant.
3 ✓

Rub the meat part (NOT the skin!) with the paste. If using a whole pig, stuff the cavity.

Tip: The spice paste would burn on the skin, so it should only touch the inside/meat.
4 ✓

Place the meat skin-side up on a rack or banana leaf in the baking tray. Roast at a low temperature (150-160°C) for about 3-4 hours.

Tip: This phase is about tenderising the meat. Collagens turn into gelatin.
5 ✓

Finally, increase the heat to 220°C and roast for another 20-30 minutes until the skin blisters and sounds hollow when tapped.

Tip: Watch continuously as the skin can burn suddenly!

Recipe FAQ

How does the skin get crispy?
The skin must be completely dry before roasting. During roasting, the fat renders out from underneath, and the skin 'fries' in its own fat.
I don't have banana leaves.
Use baking parchment or aluminium foil under the meat, but banana leaf adds a subtle tea-like aroma.

Ingredients

  • 1 pc Pork (whole pig, or for home: belly/shoulder with skin, approx. 2-3 kg)
  • 10 cloves Garlic
  • 50 g Fresh ginger
  • 30 g Fresh turmeric (or 1 tbsp powder)
  • 3 stalks Lemongrass (white part only)
  • 2 tbsp Coriander seeds (toasted, ground)
  • 5 pcs Chilli peppers
  • 2 tbsp Salt
  • 50 g Palm sugar (or brown sugar)
  • 3 tbsp Coconut oil
  • 3 pcs Banana leaves (optional)