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Betutu duck served with rice and steamed vegetables
Authentic Balinese Betutu duck made of spiced steamed meat

Betutu duck

Author: Flavelo
Recipes Main Courses
The food of Balinese kings. 'Betutu' is not just a recipe, but a ritual: the duck is massaged with plenty of spices, then steamed, and finally roasted. The thick fat layer of the duck renders out in the spiced steam, so the meat doesn't dry out but confits (cooks in fat) from the inside. The result is an intense flavour explosion made bearable by the freshness of lemongrass and ginger.
🕒 Prep Time 40 mins
🍳 Cook Time 3 hrs
⌛ Total Time 3 hrs 40 mins
🍽️ Servings 4 servings
🔥 Calories 810 kcal
🌍 Cuisine Indonesian, Balinese

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

  • Baking dish
  • Aluminium foil (or banana leaf)
  • Mortar

Instructions

1 ✓

Clean the duck, wipe dry. Prick the skin thoroughly with a fork (especially at thighs and breast) so fat can escape.

Tip: If you don't prick it, fat stays trapped and skin remains soft, not crispy.
2 ✓

Crush spices (garlic, ginger, galangal, lemongrass, chilli, turmeric, salt, coriander) with coconut oil into a paste.

Tip: Spice cell walls must be broken to release oils.
3 ✓

Rub the duck inside and out with the paste. Let stand for 1 hour.

Tip: Salt starts tenderising the fibres.
4 ✓

Wrap duck in foil (or banana leaf), place in tray, pour a little water underneath, and bake at 150°C for 2.5 hours.

Tip: Steaming makes the meat tender.
5 ✓

Unwrap, increase heat to 220°C, and bake (roast) for another 20 minutes until skin browns.

Tip: Maillard reaction gives final taste and texture here.

Recipe FAQ

What to do with all the fat?
Duck releases a lot of fat. You can pour this off at the end and use it for roasting potatoes (it tastes fantastic from the spices!).
I don't have galangal.
Galangal is more 'piney' than ginger. Use a bit more ginger and a little lemon zest instead.

Ingredients

  • 1.5 kg Whole duck (ready to cook)
  • 6 cloves Garlic
  • 3 cm Ginger
  • 1 tsp Turmeric
  • 2 tbsp Chilli paste (or hot paprika)
  • 3 cm Galangal (or extra ginger)
  • 1 tsp Ground coriander
  • 2 stalks Lemongrass
  • 1.5 tsp Salt
  • 2 tbsp Coconut oil