Recipes › Bakso

Bakso

Bakso is Indonesia's most common street food: a bowl of clear beef broth, noodles, a few dense beef meatballs and a scatter of fried shallots. The word gets translated as meatball but the texture is the point. A proper bakso is springy and bouncy, not crumbly like a Western meatball, and that comes from working the paste until it becomes sticky and then cooking it in water that is barely moving.

Ingredients

• 500 g beef mince, chilled, at least 20 percent fat
• 150 g beef shin, minced finely and chilled
• 4 tablespoons tapioca starch
• 1 egg white
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed to a paste
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon white pepper
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 litre beef stock
• 3 garlic cloves, sliced, for the broth
• 2 spring onions, white parts for the broth, green parts to serve
• 1 teaspoon salt, for the broth
• To serve: 200 g egg noodles or rice vermicelli
• 100 g bean sprouts, blanched
• 2 tablespoons fried shallots
• Chilli sauce and kecap manis at the table

Method

1. Keep everything cold. Put the mince, shin, egg white and tapioca in a bowl over ice if the room is warm. Warm meat paste will not bind.
2. Add the garlic paste, salt, white pepper and baking powder, then work the mixture with your hand or a sturdy spoon for 8 to 10 minutes, folding and pressing until it turns pale, tacky and stringy. This step is the entire difference between a springy bakso and a crumbly one.
3. Return the paste to the fridge for 20 minutes to firm up. Cold paste holds its shape when shaped.
4. Bring a wide pot of water to about 80 degrees Celsius, not a rolling boil. You want small bubbles at the bottom and no movement at the surface.
5. With a wet hand, squeeze the paste through your thumb and forefinger to form balls about 3 cm across, and drop them into the water. Alternatively, use two damp spoons.
6. Poach the meatballs for 10 to 12 minutes. They will float when done. Do not let the water boil or they split. Lift out with a slotted spoon.
7. For the broth, fry the sliced garlic in a little oil until golden, then add the stock, the white parts of the spring onions and salt. Simmer for 15 minutes and strain.
8. Blanch the noodles and bean sprouts, divide between bowls, add the meatballs, pour over the hot broth and finish with green spring onion and fried shallots.

Notes and tips

• Fat content matters. Lean mince produces a dry, dense meatball no matter how long you work it. Ask the butcher for chuck or brisket trim.
• Tapioca starch is not optional and not interchangeable with cornflour. It is what gives bakso its particular snap.
• To test the seasoning before shaping the whole batch, poach one small spoonful of the paste and taste it.
• Poached meatballs keep in the fridge for three days and freeze well in the broth.
• A food processor works, but pulse in short bursts with the mixture cold or it will smear rather than bind.

Questions

Why are my meatballs dense rather than springy?

Almost always because the paste was not worked long enough, or the meat was too warm while being worked. The mixture must become sticky and pale before shaping.

Can I use chicken instead of beef?

Yes. Chicken bakso is common in Indonesia. Use thigh mince, not breast, and add an extra half tablespoon of tapioca starch.

Do I have to poach them in water?

You can poach directly in the broth, but the broth clouds. Poaching in water first keeps the soup clear, which is how it is normally served.

What makes the broth taste authentic?

The fried garlic and a good beef stock. Some cooks add a spoon of the poaching water back in for body, and a piece of beef bone if they have one.

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