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Bakso (Meatball Soup)

Indonesia

Step 1 of 9

Bakso (Meatball Soup) — step 1 of 9

Simmer the beef bones in the water with the crushed garlic for 45 minutes, skimming. Strain, then season with white pepper and salt. Keep hot.

45 minutes45:00

Ingredients

6 servings, about 30 meatballs

The meatballs

1.5 lb (680 g) beef topside or chuck, very cold, cut into cubes
4 oz (115 g) ice cubes or ice-cold water
3/4 cup (100 g) tapioca starch
4 cloves garlic, finely grated
1 tbsp (18 g) salt
1 tsp (2 g) ground white pepper
1 tsp (5 g) baking powder
1 egg white

The broth

2 lb (900 g) beef bones
3 qt (2.8 L) water
6 cloves garlic, lightly crushed
1 tsp (2 g) ground white pepper
2 tsp (12 g) salt, or to taste
3 tbsp (15 g) crisp fried shallots, plus more to serve

To serve

10 oz (280 g) fresh yellow egg noodles, cooked
5 oz (140 g) rice vermicelli, soaked and drained
4 oz (115 g) choy sum or bok choy, blanched
6 oz (170 g) fried tofu puffs, halved (optional) optional
2 scallions, sliced
Sambal, kecap manis and white vinegar, at the table

Development draft. This is an untested development recipe from the cookbook project. It has not been kitchen-tested, and the quantities and timings are the author's working draft rather than a verified result.

The Southeast Asian Table

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