CRISPY DUCK
Other than the suckling pig, you simply can’t discuss Balinese cuisine without mentioning the much loved crispy duck, and The Garden Grille restaurant at Hilton Garden Inn Bali Ngurah Rai Airport has an exceptional crispy duck dish. With locally sourced duck from Tabanan, Executive Chef Suhaimi Atas goes through a meticulous preparation process to ensure richness of flavour. Starting with soaking the duck in salted water for one day to wash away the gamy scent usually found in duck, the next day the duck is braised with Bali’s traditional spice concoction known as bumbu Jimbaran, or bumbu genep, which comprises about 14 spices including candlenut, bird’s-eye chillies, salam leaves, coriander seeds, cloves, ginger, turmeric seeds and leaves, galangal, shrimp paste and more, for about four hours at a high temperature to make sure the spices seep in to the duck meat, before frying it to crispiness. The dish is served with sambal hijau dressing, and a side dish selection of rice baked in banana leaves, sautéed spinach, shrimp paste and pickled jicama.
