Ayam Betutu Bali (Balinese Spiced Chicken)

Step 1

Place all ingredients for spice paste in a food processor. Process into a fine paste. Add all the seasonings and stir to mix.

Step 2

Pour the spice paste into a large skillet or wok and stir fry until really fragrant. Remove 1/2 of the paste to marinate chicken and leave the other half in the skillet

Step 3

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

Step 4

Stuff the kale mixture into the cavity of the chicken. Add the lemongrass stalk in there too

Step 5

Rub the remaining spice paste all over the chicken. Rinse the banana leaves with clean water and then wipe it dry. 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. This will also help to secure the banana leaves in there. 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

Step 6

Pour 2 cups of water inside the inner pot of 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 release valve to "sealing". Press "pressure cooker" and make sure it's on high pressure. The guideline is 7-8 minutes for every pound of chicken. Mine has quite a thick breast, so I use 8 minutes per pound and I set the timer to 32 minutes

Step 7

When the timer is done, wait for 10 minutes and then release pressure. Unlock the lid and very carefully lift the chicken up and let it rest on a platter for at least 10 minutes before unwrapping, then proceed to the broiling step (optional)

Step 8

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. 15 minutes before the end of cooking time, preheat oven to 400 F (200 C)

Step 9

Place the wrapped chicken on a roasting pan lined with heavy-duty aluminum foil (for easy clean-up).

Step 10

Place the pan 3rd rack from the top and let it roast for the next 45 minutes to 1 hour. Test the doneness by using an instant-read thermometer inserted near the thigh, not touching the bone. It should measure 165 F (74 C). If it hasn't reached yet, bake a little longer.

Step 11

Carefully remove the foil and the banana leaf covering the top and turn on the broiler. 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

Step 12

There will be some juice at the bottom, serve with the juice and the stuffing