Seminyak Sensation

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When I travel to Bali, one of the first meals I order is the famous Indonesian babi guling, which is usually made with suckling pig. I can’t get enough of its aromatic flavours. Taking this great dish as inspiration, I introduce to you… my Seminyak sensation! Now, while this is cooked up in one pan, the spice paste is sneakily whizzed up separately – though, I’m sure you’ll forgive me the extra washing up when you taste this!

Ingredients

1 kg pork belly, skin on

Sea salt

4 parsnips, halved lengthways

2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted

1 handful of coriander leaves, finely chopped, to serve

1 handful of bean sprouts, to serve

1 long red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped, to serve

Lime wedges, to serve

Seminyak spice paste

1 teaspoon sea salt

3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

3 cm piece of ginger, peeled and finely grated

3 cm piece of fresh turmeric root, peeled and grated

3 bird’s eye chillies, deseeded and finely chopped

2 onions, roughly chopped

2 kaffir lime leaves, finely sliced

2 curry leaves, finely sliced

1 tablespoon coriander seeds, crushed

2 tablespoons coconut oil

Method

Prepare the pork belly by patting it dry with paper towel. Season the skin with salt and leave in the fridge for 2–3 hours.
To make the Seminyak spice paste, put all the ingredients in a food processor and whiz together to form a thick paste.
Preheat the oven to 220°C.
Score the pork skin with a knife and then, using your hands, rub the spice paste all over the flesh and skin, being sure to coat it evenly. Place the pork belly skin-side up on a rack set in a roasting tin, and fill the tin with water so that the bottom 2 cm or so of the pork flesh is submerged.
Carefully transfer the tin to the oven and roast for 20 minutes, or until the pork skin is golden and has started to crackle. Reduce the heat to 180°C. Coat the parsnips with the melted coconut oil, season with salt and add to the liquid in the tin. Cook for a further 45–60 minutes, basting the flesh occasionally until the meat is cooked through and the juices run clear when a skewer is inserted into the thickest part.
Remove the pork from the oven and leave to rest for 15 minutes before carving. Serve with the parsnips, coriander, bean sprouts, chilli and a squeeze of fresh lime.

TIP: This spice paste works really well as a coating for a wide range of proteins – think Balinese-style roast chicken, beef ribs or whole baked fish.

HEALTH BOOST: Fresh turmeric is full of active compounds called curcuminoids, which contain antioxidant properties that are great for us. Being fat-soluble, they are best absorbed by the body when paired with a healthy fat source, which the coconut oil and the lovely crackly pork skin provide here.

This is an edited recipe extract from Healthy Made Easy by Luke Hines (published by Plum).

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