Ayam Betutu

Ayam Betutu is the signature dish of Bali — a whole chicken stuffed with a complex spice paste of turmeric, ginger, garlic, candlenuts, coriander, chilies, and *daun salam*, then wrapped in banana leaves and steamed or slow-roasted for hours. The result is meat that's fall-off-the-bone tender, deeply flavored, and aromatic with the smell of banana leaves. The dish has two main versions: *ayam betutu basah* (wet, steamed) and *ayam betutu kering* (dry, roasted). The wet version is more common in the home; the dry version is the famous restaurant dish of Ubud, served with rice, plecing kangkung (water spinach in sambal), and lawar (a Balinese vegetable salad with minced meat and coconut).