The rich flavor of duck is greatly enhanced by a host of pungent roots, herbs and seasonings in this dish, which is invariably a great favorite with visitors to Bali. The Balinese have great admiration for the duck and consider it to be a particularly strong animal as it is, like the turtle, the only one able to survive on land as water.

INGREDIENTS :
1 whole duck, weigh about 2 kg (4 ½ lb)
18 shallots, peeled, cut in half, and sliced
6 cloves garlic, peeled, cut in half, & sliced
3 stalks lemon grass, finely sliced
5 fragrant lime leaves, finely sliced
6 candlenuts, chopped
5 cm (2 in), ginger, peeled and chopped
8 cm (3in) fresh turmeric, peeled, chopped
8 cm (3in) kencur root, peeled, chopped
1 tsp black peppercorns, crushed
5 bird’s-eye chilies, slices
1 tsp coriander seeds, crushed
2 tsp dried shrimp paste, roasted and
coarsely crushed
1½ tbsp salt
3 tbsp oil
Banana leaves, greaseproof paper or
aluminum foil for wrapping

PREPARATIONS :
Wipe the duck dry and set aside. Combine all ingredients except banana leafs in a bowl and mix well. Rub the duck outside with this mixture and fill the center of the duck with the remainder.
Close open duck with satay skewer. Wrap in several layers of banana leaves, greaseproof paper or foil and steam for 50 minutes. Transfer duck to a moderate oven and bake at 180o C (350o F) for 30 minutes.
Remove banana leaves, cut duck meat up in small pieces and serve with stuffing. When cooked, the meat should be so tender that it falls off the bones.