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Ayam Betutu (Balinese Stuffed Chicken)

Name: Ayam Betutu (Balinese Stuffed Chicken)
Prep time: 30 min
Total time: 3 h 30 min
Cuisine: Indonesian
Ingredients: 1 whole chicken (3-4 lbs); 6 shallots; 5 cloves garlic; 2-inch piece galangal; 1-inch piece turmeric; 1-inch piece ginger; 2 stalks lemongrass; 6 dried chilies; 4 candlenuts; 1 tsp shrimp paste; 1 tsp coriander; 3 cloves; 1/4 tsp nutmeg; 2 cups cassava leaves, blanched; 4 banana leaves

Ayam Betutu (Balinese Stuffed Chicken) reads umami 6.1, nutty 6.0 and richness 5.4 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Indonesian main, about 3 hr 30 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

Umami & Savory — 7.2 / 10
Sweet & Fruity — 6.0 / 10
Sour & Bright — 3.2 / 10
Bitter & Earthy — 3.1 / 10
Rich & Fat — 7.7 / 10
Aromatic & Spice — 4.7 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 6.1 · Nutty 6.0 · Richness 5.4 · Sweetness 4.6 · Fruity 4.5 · Marine & Briny 4.0 · Allium 3.9 · Salinity 3.5 · Funk & Ferment 3.5 · Warm Spice 3.1 · Citrus 3.0 · Earthy 2.8 · Heat 2.7 · Floral 2.4 · Herbaceous 2.4 · Bitterness 1.9 · Sourness 0.7

What's in it (15)

1 whole chicken (3-4 lbs)
6 shallots
5 cloves garlic
2-inch piece galangal
1-inch piece turmeric
1-inch piece ginger
2 stalks lemongrass
6 dried chilies
4 candlenuts
1 tsp shrimp paste
1 tsp coriander
3 cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 cups cassava leaves, blanched
4 banana leaves

Time & effort: about 3 hr 30 min (30 min active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 176.1 kcal, 12.2 g protein, 11.3 g fat, 7 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains seafood — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (3 steps)

Blend all spices into a paste, mix half with cassava leaves, and stuff inside the chicken.
Rub the remainder over the skin.
Wrap tightly in banana leaves and slow-cook in a low oven or over embers for several hours until deeply tender.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

Ceebu Jën (Thieboudienne) — Senegalese
Kuchmachi (Warm Offal in Walnut and Pomegranate) — Georgian
Suquet de Peix — Spanish · Catalonia
Singapore Noodles — Chinese-American
Lawar (Balinese Spiced Vegetable and Meat Mix) — Indonesian

Keep reading: what umami, nutty, richness mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.