Balinese Minced Pork (Lelawar Bali)

This Balinese minced pork recipe is originally called Lelawar Bali. I think this recipe is a typical Beb Vuyk dish; the ingredients are super simple, but the combination makes this minced meat dish into a tasty and spicy dish that tastes authentic and delicious.

I love kencur. This root has a strong flavor. You only need a little bit. The other Indonesian herb I love a lot is jeruk purut or lemon leaf. Deliciously fragrant and works well with the roasted coconut.

This Balinese Minced Pork (Lelawar Bali) is enough for 2-3 people and is ready in 30 minutes (because I make it in a less complicated way than Beb).


Balinese Minced Pork I (Lelawar Bali) #182 translated from Beb Vuyk’s Groot Indonesisch Kookboek, page 175.

Ingredients

1/2 kg pork chops (with some fat)
6 tablespoons of coconut flour
oil

Herbs

5 tablespoons of chopped onions
5 chopped cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon of sambal trassi (chili salsa with shrimp paste)
1 teaspoon of black pepper
1/2 teaspoon of kencur
4 chopped up jeruk purut leaves (lemon leaves)
juice of one lemon
salt

Boil the pork chops with a little water and salt and fry them, when the water has evaporated, in their own fat. Then push them through the meat grinder.

Rub half of the onions and garlic together with the sambal, kencur, pepper and finely chopped jeruk purut into a paste.

Roast the shredded coconut in one spoon of oil until the coconut turns light yellow.

Sauté the herb paste in a little oil and mix it with roasted coconut and the minced meat. Also, sauté the remaining onions and garlic. Add everything together in the pan and let it sauté for a while stirring. Finish with the lemon juice.


No way. I’m not making minced meat myself ;-). I buy half pork half beef minced meat at my local butcher That works great.

Because I’m making this recipe the easy way I use my emersion blender to make the delicious herb paste. I add half of the onions, garlic, sambal (chili salsa), kencur, pepper and chopped jeruk purut. I use a teaspoon of salt for half a kilo of minced meat.

My sambal trassi is finished. It is super easy to make it yourself, but for this Balinese minced pork I just add a chili pepper and a teaspoon of trassi (shrimp pasta). Trassi is also used in Thai cuisine. It is a fermented shrimp paste. Strong in taste and smell. I love it. I mix all the ingredients into a smooth paste.

I do not mix all the onions and garlic just like Beb states in her recipe. I leave a handful to add to the minced meat later.

Before we fry the bumbu (herb paste), first roast the shredded coconut in the pan. I use my cast iron pan for this, but any pan will work. Keep a close eye on it because it can become too dark very quickly. Keep it moving. It smells great already.

After a few minutes, it’s already gorgeous golden brown.

The bumbu can now be sauteed in the pan where the coconut was roasted in. I add a tablespoon of oil and the rest of the onions and garlic. I stir it until the onions are yellow.

Now I add the roasted coconut.

It already smells delicious in the kitchen. The meat can be added too.

I mix well and stir until all the meat is done.

Finally, I add the lime juice. The acidity makes the rest of the flavors to pop out. This Balinese minced pork dish is not necessarily the most visual dish that Beb has in her cookbook, but it’s definitely one of her most delicious ones.

My 7-year-old was so surprised and wanted a second serving. The herbs make the meat well-flavored and the coconut ensures a soft aftertaste. I add some chopped up chives for some color and extra taste.

We eat our Lelawar Bali with white pandan rice and a tender acar without vinegar. TOP!

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