Bali | Local Guide

Get to Know Ayam Betutu: The Original Taste of Bali Culinary and 10 Recommendations!

Hello FlokqJanuary 25, 2021

Apart from nature’s charms, you will definitely fall in love with the taste of food you have to try in Bali. It can be Indonesian cuisine and even Balinese local dish which commonly has a rich taste since it consists of various kinds of herb spices.

One of the local dishes you must try while in Bali is Ayam Betutu. This is a famous local dish that can be found anywhere in Bali. Before trying ayam betutu during your visit to Bali, you might want to know more about it first. Here are some introductions about ayam betutu and a list of the best restaurants for having ayam betutu.

What is Ayam Betutu?

Ayam Betutu is a local Bali dish made of a whole chicken and cooked in a cooking-method called “betutu”, which is quite similar to grilled, but what makes it different is because betutu is burned inside a fire husk. Ayam betutu is using whole chicken that is filled with various special Balinese ingredients. Apart from chicken, betutu-method also can be done using a duck.

Balinese people usually serve ayam betutu with some condiments such as vegetables, peanuts and sambal. This can be enjoyed for breakfast, lunch or dinner. With a plate of rice, you will get to try the original taste of Bali and a sensation of hot and spicy yet amazingly delicious dishes.

Ayam betutu often served for temple ceremonies or any special day in Bali. The traditional way to cook ayam betutu is by wrapping it with leaves and grilled it, this method somehow can produce some distinctive aroma which makes ayam betutu more tasteful.

Ayam Betutu Recipe        

There is also an easier way to cook ayam betutu that can be done at home. Quite similar with the Balinese method where you need to season the chicken using some spice herb. But this way, instead of grilled inside a fire husk, you can boil the seasoned chicken. Or you can bake it to get some aroma and make it more appetizing.

Ayam betutu is quite easy to make since the recipe is adaptable. For example, if you don’t have banana leaves, you can simply leave it out. Or if you can’t resist super spicy food, you can cut down the chili. Furthermore, ayam betutu can be cooked in a pressure cooker or steamer which makes it easier.

Interested to make it by yourself at home? Here are some simple ayam betutu recipe you can easily follow!

Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken
• 4 banana leaves to wrap the chicken (tin foil can be an alternative)

Stuffing:

• 100g cassava leaves (or you can use curly kale as another option)

Spice paste:

• 4 shallots
• 6 cloves garlic
• 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger
• 1 thumb-sized piece of kencur (lesser galangal)
• 1 thumb-sized piece of galangal
• 1 thumb-sized piece of turmeric
• 4 stalks of lemongrass (Finely chopped)
•  2 red chillies
• 2 candlenuts
• ½ tsp  ground black pepper
• ½ tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp  sesame  seeds
•  ¼ tsp nutmeg powder
•  ¼ tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp shrimp paste
• salt (to taste)

Cooking steps:

1. Prepare the Aromatic Spice Paste

• Place all ingredients for spice paste in a food processor. Process into a fine paste. Add all the seasonings and stir to mix.
• Pour the spice paste into a large skillet or wok and stir fry until really fragrant.

2. Precook the Vegetables

• Remove 1/2 of the paste to marinate chicken and leave the other half in the skillet. Add the kale or cassava leaves into the skillet and cook until they are partly wilted. Turn off the heat. Have a taste and season with more salt if needed.

3. Stuff the Chicken

• Stuff the kale mixture into the cavity of the chicken. Add the lemongrass stalk in there too.
• Rub the remaining spice paste all over the chicken

4. Wrap and Marinate

• Place one large piece of aluminum foil on the countertop, 2 times bigger than the size of the chicken. Place one large piece of banana leaf on top of the aluminum foil, slightly bigger than the chicken and put another 2 large pieces of banana leaves on top, kinda overlapping to cover the chicken.
• Cover with another oversized aluminum foil and wrap the chicken with the foil.
• Place this in the refrigerator and let it marinate overnight. Remove from the fridge and let it sit on the counter for 30 minutes before you plan to cook.

5. Cook with Pressure Cooker or Steamer

• Pour 2 cups of water inside the inner pot of the instant pot. Put a trivet in there.
• Carefully placed the wrapped chicken on top of the trivet. Cover with the lid and turn the steam releases valve to “sealing”.
• Press “pressure cooker” and make sure it’s on high pressure. The guideline is 6-7 minutes for every pound of chicken.
• Bring the water in a steamer to a rolling boil. Place the chicken in the steamer and steam over high heat for 1 hour. You will need to replenish the water halfway if it runs low. Then roast in the preheated oven at 400 F (200 C) for another 45 minutes to 1 hour

6. Broil the Chicken (Optional)

• Broiling the chicken will give an extra golden brown to the skin. You can skip this if you don’t want to. Carefully remove the foil and the banana leaf covering the top
• Broil it on low to create darker skin if you like
• Otherwise, you can remove from the oven and let it rest for at least 10 minutes before cutting the chicken.

Once it’s done, serve with rice, sambal, fried peanuts and a cold beer!

You can also watch this tutorial video to get a better insight of ayam betutu recipe:

Read also about Best Coliving Space in Bali

10 Recommendations for Ayam Betutu in Bali

Since it has become a popular local dish in Bali, many restaurants nowadays are providing ayam betutu on their menu. Although the cooking methods are improved and quite different from the traditional way, the taste remains as delicious as the authentic one. A portion of ayam betutu can be served for up to 6 people, which makes it a perfect choice for family dinner.

If you want to try ayam betutu during your trip to Bali, you can check these best restaurants to eat ayam betutu.

1. Ayam Betutu Pak Man

Ayam Betutu Pak Man is famously known for its delicious dish. If you love spicy food, then you will definitely like this one as this place serves ayam betutu with strong flavours and tender meat. Located in Ubud close to Joger Street, this place can be a great choice for lunch after shopping.

Location: Jl. Kubu Anyar No.72x, Kuta, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361

Price: IDR85.000

Open: Daily 8am – 10pm

2. Ayam Betutu Liku

Ayam Betutu Liku is located in Denpasar and always has lots of visitors every day. Sometimes, they will run out of stock too soon, so if you want to try Ayam Betutu Liku it is better for you to come in the morning. A portion of ayam betutu at this place is completed by rice, eggs, fried-peanut, sambal and some vegetables.

If you want to buy Ayam Betutu Liku for souvenirs, they also provide a frozen ayam betutu that costs around IDR65.000 for a whole chicken.

Location: Jl. Tukad Musi No.19 A, Panjer, Kec. Denpasar Sel., Kota Denpasar, Bali 80239

Price: Start from IDR20.000

Open: Daily 8am – 10pm

3. Ayam Betutu Pak Sanur

Ayam Betutu Pak Sanur is a cozy place with delicious food located in Ubud and has become one of the most popular ayam betutu restaurants in Bali. They serve tender chicken meat which is specially cooked for almost 12 hours. No wonder the taste is so delicious!

Location: Jl. Arjuna No.19, Ubud, Kecamatan Ubud, Kabupaten Gianyar, Bali 80571

Price: Start from IDR25.000

Open: Daily 7am – 2pm

4. Ayam Betutu Men Tempeh

Ayam Betutu Men Tempeh is located at Jembrana and considered as a legendary place famously known for its super spicy dish, strong flavour and savory broth. A portion of ayam betutu here is completed with rich, fried peanuts, vegetables and sambal.

Location: Terminal Lama, Gilimanuk, Kec. Melaya, Kabupaten Jembrana, Bali 82252

Price: IDR95.000

Open: Daily 7am – 9.30pm

5. Ayam Betutu Mek Rati

Located in Kuta, Ayam Betutu Mek Rati serves you a plate of tender chicken meat with delicious smells and taste. A portion of ayam betutu at this place is completed with rice, fried peanuts, vegetables and boiled egg. You can also request for extra sambal as they have an authentic sambal here.

Location: Jl. Dewi Sri IV, Legian, Kuta, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361

Price: Start from IDR15.000

Open: Mon – Sat from 10am – 7pm

6. Ayam Betutu Ibu Nia

Located in Denpasar area, this ayam betutu place is a famous location among tourists. A portion of ayam betutu at this place is affordable but tastes so good. Other than chicken, they also serve bebek (duck) betutu, and each portion is completed with rice, kale, sambal, and soup.

Location: Jl. Merdeka No.1, Renon, Kec. Denpasar Timur., Kota Denpasar, Bali 80239

Price: Start from IDR25.000

Open: Daily 10am – 10pm

7. Betutu Ibu Rai

Betutu Ibu Rai has various kinds of chicken betutu as well as bebek betutu. A strong seasoning is one of their signatures which makes ayam betutu at this place taste delicious. They cook the chicken for more than 8 hours to ensure the meat is tender and well-cooked. Other good things about this place is, you will have a smokey-meat as they smoked the chicken first.

Location: Jl. Tukad Citarum No.43, Panjer, Kec. Denpasar Sel., Kota Denpasar, Bali 80114

Price: Start from IDR100.000

Open: Mon – Sat from 10am – 5pm

8. Nasi Ayam Kedewatan Ibu Mangku

Nasi Ayam Kedewatan Ibu Mangku is one of the popular ayam betutu places in Bali and they currently run 3 branches which are located in Ubud, Seminyak and Denpasar. So if you happen to stay in one of those areas, make sure to make a visit to this famous place, and try their delicious dish on your own.

Location: Jl. Raya Kedewatan No.18, Kedewatan, Kecamatan Ubud, Kabupaten Gianyar, Bali 80571

Price: Start from IDR35.000

Open: Daily 8am – 6pm

9. Ayam Betutu Bu Lina Gilimanuk

Famously known by its spicy and savory broth, Ayam Betutu Bu Lina Gilimanuk is a popular place among tourists and locals. You can tell their food is tasteful as they cooked it for a long time to make sure the meat is tender. A portion of ayam betutu at this place is coming with rice, vegetables, fried-peanuts and sambal. You can also request for the chicken piece, it can be a half or a whole chicken.

Location: Pertokoan Kuta Indah Permai B6-B7, Jl. Raya Kuta, Kuta, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361

Price:                            

Open: Daily 9am – 10pm

10. Nasi Pecel Bu Tinuk

Ayam betutu at Nasi Pecel Bu Tinuk is unique and quite different from others as they served the chicken with peanut sauce. What makes it more special is because the peanut sauce itself is tasty. Other than the main dish ayam betutu, at this place you can also have a side-dish such as egg, satai, and other fried snacks.

Location: Jalan Raya Kuta, Kuta, Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361

Price: Start from IDR25.000

Open: Daily 7am – 12am

There you have it! Now you are familiar enough with Ayam Betutu, right? Make some time to follow our recipe and give it a try to our best picks of Ayam Betutu restaurants in Bali.

You can also enjoy the amazing Ayam Betutu while trying a new experience of living in accommodation with Flokq! Flokq offers new comfortable accommodation with the co-living concept that you can rent during your stay.

Want to know more? Reach us at +62 813-1490-5690 or click the button down below!