Echoes of Betutu Duck

Betutu duck is a special dish from the hills of Bali which is traditionally cooked by a local priest. He rubs the duck with sauce and spices, wraps it in a large betel-nut leaf and buries it underground, under a layer of smouldering rice husks, for up to 24 hours. Some of the Balinese spices are impossible to find here and of course the method of cooking cannot be imitated, hut the duck that the priest cooked for us in Bali was so meltingly delicious that I resolved to emulate it as best I