Gianyar Slow-Cook Tradition · Spice-Buried Poultry
Betutu
Photo: Gunawan Kartapranata / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
The exact style changes region by region — Klungkung and Karangasem stuff the spice paste and vegetables deep into the bird's cavity, Gianyar wraps it in banana leaf, and Gilimanuk's version is noticeably spicier, with a reddish, fiery spice mix, than anywhere else on the island.
A whole chicken or duck is coated inside and out with a hand-ground paste of turmeric, galangal, candlenut, chili, and shrimp paste, then wrapped in banana and areca palm leaves and slow-steamed or roasted for hours until the meat falls from the bone. Warungs near Gianyar sell it as a full plate with rice and vegetables.
Why it's made this way: Betutu's regional variation reflects Bali's village-level culinary identity, with each regency defending its own version of the spice mix and wrapping method as distinctly its own.
More from Indonesia
Es Cendol
Sate (Skewered Grilled Meat)
Gado-Gado (Vegetable Salad with Peanut Sauce)
Bakso
Martabak
Sate Padang
Part of World of Street Food — 3248 dishes from 118 countries.
Something wrong here? Tell us in the comments below.
Photo credits.