Ayam Betutu Recipe (Bali Baked Spices Chicken in Banana Leaves Wraps)

Another spices recipes from Bali, Gods Island. This recipe was modified from my cookbook that I brought from Indonesia, Hidangan Ayam ala Resto by Sufi S.Y. In that cookbook, I saw a recipe Bebek Betutu which Bebek means duck in bahasa Indonesia. I modified by using chicken instead.

Ingredients:
4 chicken thighs (750 g)
1 lime
banana leaves and aluminium foil to wrap

Spices to grind
2 lemongrasses, finely angle cut
4 lime kaffir leaves, finely sliced
1 tsp sugar
8 shallots
4 cloves garlic
6 bird’s eye chili (original recipe used red chilies)
5 candlenuts, toasted
1/2 cm ginger, finely sliced
1 tsp ground turmeric (original recipe used 3 cm fresh turmeric)
4-5 cm kaempferia galangal (original recipe used 3 cm kaempferia galangal)*
1 tbsp coriander seed, toasted
1 tsp dried shrimp paste (original recipe used 1/2 tsp dried shrimp paste)**
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
salt as desired

Note:
* kaempferia galangal is what Indonesians call kencur and don’t get confused with galangal which translated as lengkuas or laos in bahasa Indonesia
** dried shrimp paste is translated as terasi in bahasa Indonesia or belacan in Malay.

Directions:
1. Drizzle all over the chicken with lime and rub with salt. Let stand for 30 minutes. Clean up chicken with tub water, drain and wipe off with clean cloth.
2. Place all spices to grind in a food processor or hand blender. Grind/blend until smooth.
3. Rub chicken with ground spices. Place in banana leaves and wrap it up, then wrap the chicken in banana leaves with aluminium foil. Keep in a fridges for 2 hours or so. In my case, I kept it for 24 hours.
4. Steam for an hour and continue cooking by baking in the oven for an hour at 325F.