Bali’s famous babi guling roast suckling pig is a must-have dish. The ideal accompaniment is this “sambal matah” – a refreshing and fragrant foil.
1.5kg piece of pork belly, skin scored
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp table salt
2 makrut lime leaves, central vein removed and finely shredded
2 large red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp white vinegar
Boil a kettle of water. Place the pork on a rack in the sink and pour boiling water over the skin. Pat dry with paper towels.
Combine the vegetable oil with the turmeric, black pepper and a teaspoon of salt and rub the mixture all over the meat side of the pork belly. Place on a rack in a roasting tray and rub the remaining salt over the skin of the pork. Rest in the fridge overnight, uncovered, to dry the skin.
For the fresh sambal, combine ingredients in a non-reactive bowl and stir to dissolve the sugar. Adjust the seasoning with a little more sugar, lime juice or fish sauce as necessary.
Heat your oven to 220C (200C fan-forced) and roast the pork for 1 hour. Reduce the heat to 180C (160C fan-forced) and cook for a further 30 minutes. Rest for 10 minutes, then slice and serve with cooked rice and green beans in coconut cream.
Adam’s tip: Getting good crackling on pork is both a science and an art. Pay attention to it as it cooks because the skin will often buckle unevenly. Mask areas with foil if they look like burning, and consider using a hot grill at the end to crisp any areas that haven’t crackled.
This content was originally published here.