Suckling Pig At Traditional Night Market

Fri, 6 May 2011

The pig is “ an encyclopedic animal” a meal on legs a quote I borrowed from Mr. Grimod de la Reyniere, a French lawyer who lived in Napoleon era. Not to worry, we are not going to discuss about his life whatsoever; it’s his quote that interest me so much that has to do with our topic for this week, the tasty Roasted Suckling pig (called Babi Guling in Indonesian). Suckling pig is really famous in Bali not only for the ceremony's sake, it is a favorite dish among Balinese. You can find many warungs (terms for local small food stall in Indonesia) or fancy restaurants selling this specialty all over Bali. If you are a food hunter or type of person who loves trying local food wherever you are as much as I do, then you should include this food in your dish-to-eat-list!

Tired of fancy restaurant? Why not trying traditional night market instead for a change? I went to one of the famous night market in Denpasar called Pasar Kereneng and Asoka (Kereneng and Asoka Market).It is located  in the middle of Denpasar city, Kamboja street, just 10 minutes away from the famous Puputan Badung.

Night is the best time to go there as all stands or stalls from food, electronics, clothes, etc are open. Kreneng market is famous for its cheap prices and on top of that you can bargain as well.  I went there last night and what a view! Hundreds of people flocked in it despite it was not weekend (imagine if it’s weekend). Parking man whistling his whistle continuously as motorbikes kept coming and going. The roar of the motorbikes, the smoke from the satay sellers, the inviting smells of the food and the crowd of the people in and out of the market merged into one but I did not feel dizzy or something, - I was excited instead! Can’t wait to get inside!

I went straight to the roasted suckling pig corner once I entered the market and decided to check on the stall with the most customers, it’s located near to the main entrance gate, in fact it’s the first suckling pig stall you will see . The stall size is normal not too big but enough to store all the food, the food were displayed in a window glass with some containers beneath them so that  they are high enough for people to see. It’s owned by a 42 years old man named Komang Surat. He’s been in the business for 9 years. His food stall opens from 6AM to 11:30 PM at night and he needs a 70kg pig everyday, according to him he could reach more than hundreds people daily, most of them are locals but some foreigners have been his customers as well. First come first served basis; you might want to come earlier if you want a seat as the seats are limited about 15-20 seats. Indeed, he was busy serving the customers, putting each of food into a plate while I was standing next to him, trying hard to resist my temptation to grab one of the plates! He was only helped by a helper. For one portion, he sells it at Rp.25,000 which includes rice, urutan (the belly/the gut of the pig which has  been stuffed with herbs and spices), lawar (chopped meats and vegetables mixed with spices), urap (normally made with unripe jack fruit or green beans mixed with grated coconut and spices), and of course suckling pig's meat. The price is reasonable for such a delicious dish!

Sitting down with the locals and enjoying your tasty dinner in a crowd of a traditional night market, -  surely it would be an unforgettable experience.
Dare to try?