Indonesian Street Food Staple of Meatballs and Noodles in Broth Brings President Obama Back to His Childhood
"Bakso, nasi goreng ... semuanya enak!" or "Meatball soup, fried rice ... it's all delicious!" Obama said during a state dinner in Jakarta. The president spent several years of his childhood in the country.
In Indonesia, meatballs are called 'bakso' and are usually served in a bowl, like soup, with noodles, beancurds (tofu), egg and siomay. It's a very popular food across the country. You can find it in every region in Indonesia, from street-side vendors, three feet of the cart or two feet of the vendor to nice restaurants.
For Indonesian, bakso can be eaten as a snack or main dish. It's one of my favourite dishes when I was in Indonesia. We don't need to make it at home because a lot of bakso sellers were passing by in front of the house everyday. And here, I had to make it by myself since nobody is selling it. And finally I did it! I’ve managed to satisfy my longing for Bakso.
Category : Soup
Difficulty : Medium
Cooking time : more than 1 hour
Ingredients
To Make meatballs
- 250 gram minced beef
- 35 gram tapioca flour
- 75 gram crushed ice cube
- 2 white eggs
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 tablespoons of fried garlic
- 2 tablespoons fried shallots
- salt and pepper to taste
To make the broth
- 250 gram Beef ribs ( young beef bones are the best to make broth, cooked a day before and store)
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 3 cloves of garlic, crushed and fried
- 1 stalk celery leaf, finely chopped
- 1 stalk onion spring, finely chopped
- Salt to taste
- 750 ml water
Additional Ingredients
- Fried Tofu Meatball (Bakwan Tahu Goreng) but without the peanut sauce, check the recipe here
- Fried meatball (Gorengan Bakso), check the recipe here
- 150 g dried egg noodles, cook and set aside
- Green salad or Bak Choy ( Chinese cabbage or Indonesian : Sawi)
- Fried shallots
- Sweet soy sauce (kecap manis)
- Chilli sauce (sambal)
Directions
1. Mix all ingredients for meatball and grind them in food processor until it's sticky. Then put in fridge for 45 minutes to one hour.
2. Boil some water for cooking the meatball. Scoop with 2 tablespoons and make round ball and drop the meatballs into boiling water. When it's floating, it means it's done. Set aside.
3. Make the broth : boil the beef ribs into 750 ml water, add the salt, pepper and the rest of ingredients. Cook until it's boiling. Then add the meatballs inside.
4. Serve the meatball with cooked egg noodle, green salad, bakwan tahu, gorengan bakso and garnish fried shallots. Add sweet soy sauce and sambal if you like. Then pour with the broth. Eat when it's hot or warm.
