This recipe of Ayam Betutu is authentic and traditional, as native housewives and cooks locally curate it. You would not want to miss out on this one!
Things to know about Ayam Betutu Recipe
This traditional poultry dish originated from the Gilimanuk region of Bali Island, Indonesia. The term betutu is local slang, combining the word tunu which translates into roasted in the Balinese language, and be, which translates to meat. Thus, the word betutu can be roughly translated into roasted meat.
Commonly, this dish is cooked on special occasions like religious ceremonies or weddings. The main ingredient used can vary, but generally, the two most commonly used are either chicken or duck.
The poultry is cooked whole after coated and stuffed generously with the traditional Balinese spice mix called base genep (made out of 15 different spices) and cassava leaves. Nowadays, the cooking process usually involved a few hours of steaming/roasting followed by stovetop grilling.
But if we were to follow the traditional way of cooking ayam betutu, it is “buried underground” and cooked slowly in an earth oven with coals (the whole chicken is wrapped in banana leaves) for 8 and up to 12 hours.
The dish is thought to be heavily inspired by the early kingdom of Majapahit which spans throughout the Nusantara. During the 16th century, when the Islamic kingdom become the dominant kingdom on Java Island, the weakened Majapahit who were Hindus fled to Bali and settled down there. You would not want to miss out on this!
Delicious Indonesian Traditional Herb and Spices Roasted Chicken from Bali. Authentic Recipe of Ayam Betutu.
— General Atributes of This Recipe:
— ADAPT THE SERVINGS OR PORTIONS BY ENTERING YOUR DESIRED VALUE —
Ingredients
- 1 whole Chicken Free-Range
- 1 pc Lime
- 400 grams (14.11 oz) Cassava Leaf
- 2 pc Banana Leaf Large
- 2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
Base Genep (Mixed Spices)
- 15 cloves Shallot Onion
- 8 cloves Garlic
- 2 pcs Red Chili Pepper
- 8 pcs Red Bird’s Eye Chili Pepper
- 6 pcs Candlenut
- 1 tsp Ground Coriander Powder
- 1/2 tsp Ground White Pepper Powder
- 1/2 tsp Ground Black Pepper
- 2 thumbs Fresh Ginger Root
- 1 thumb Greater Galangal – Alpinia Galanga – Lengkuas – Laos
- 1 thumb Fresh Galangal – Kencur – Aromatic Ginger – Kaempferia Galanga – Sand Ginger – Cutcherry – Resurrection Lily
- 2 thumbs Turmeric – Curcuma Longa
- 1 tsp Petis Udang – Black Fermented Shrimp Paste – Terasi
- 6 pcs Kaffir Lime Leaf
- 4 pcs Bay Leaf
- 3 sticks Lemongrass – Cymbopogon – Barbed Wire Grass – Cochin Grass – Malabar Grass
- 2 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp White Sugar – Regular Sugar – Granulated Sugar
Instructions
Base Genep
- First, peel off the skin of the ginger, lengkuas, kencur, and turmeric. Roast them in a non-stick pan until slightly charred.
- Slice the garlic and shallots roughly to make it easier to blend.
- Add all the ingredients into a food processor and blend them into a smooth paste.
Chicken
- We would need to clean the chicken and coat it evenly with the juice of lime, let rest, and set it aside.
- In a pot, boil the cassava leaves until tender. Strain and squeeze out the excess water with your hand, roughly chop and set aside.
- In a saucepan, heat vegetable oil and fry the mixed spices until fragrant.
- Take a few tablespoons of the sauce and mix it with the cassava leaves in a bowl.
- Now, we will generously cover both the outside and inside of the chicken with the mixed spices, make sure to use all of the spices.
- Stuff the chicken’s cavity with the spiced cassava leaves until full, seal the cavity using a toothpick.
- Lay the stuffed and spiced chicken on top of a few sheets of banana leaves (cleaned beforehand), and tightly wrap the banana leaves around the chicken. Seal with toothpick.
- In a steamer, steam the chicken wrapped in banana leaf for 2 hours in low heat.
- After 2 hours, take the wrapped chicken and grill for 20 minutes.
- The dish is ready to be served!
— Specific Atributes of This Recipe:
Nutrition
Cooking tip for making Ayam Betutu
Don’t be afraid to add more salt, since the steaming process will reduce the saltiness of the dish.
What to serve with Ayam Betutu
This dish is best served with Balinese sambal matah and warm white rice.
Variations of Ayam Betutu
You can use duck for this dish instead of chicken. The process is exactly the same, except for the cooking process which will be longer if we used duck.
Photo Disclaimer: – Images used in this article are owned by the respective individuals, artists, or other parties who post on their private social media accounts. These images only serve as an inspiration and cannot be copied (images or designs) for personal use.
Health Disclaimer: Agoralia is not responsible for any health problems that could be related to the information provided on the website. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice and should not be relied on as health or personal advice. The content is for informational purposes only, and should not be taken as professional medical advice reliance on or use of the information on the website is at their own risk. Always seek the guidance of your doctor or other qualified health professional with any questions you may have regarding your health or a medical condition. Never disregard the advice of a medical professional, or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this Website.
AR000487JR
