Bakso

Name: Bakso
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 1 serving
Cuisine: Asian
Ingredients: 120 g lean beef; 30 g tapioca flour; 2 clove garlic; 45 ml ice water; 0.25 tsp bicarbonate of soda; 0.75 tsp salt; 0.5 tsp ground white pepper; 400 ml beef stock; 60 g fresh egg noodles; 40 g bean sprouts; 40 g caisim; 1 tbsp Chinese celery leaves; 1 tbsp fried shallots; 1 tsp sambal; 1 tsp kecap manis; 1 tsp rice vinegar

Indonesian beef meatballs, springy from pounded lean beef and tapioca flour, served in a clear garlic-pepper broth with noodles, greens, fried shallots and sambal, the bowl every bakso cart in Java sells.

Mains 25g+ protein

60 min30 prep · 30 cookMedium683 kcalper serving

Instructions

Cut the 120 g of lean beef into 2 cm cubes, cutting away every scrap of sinew and fat, spread it on a plate and freeze for 20 minutes until firm and very cold, cold meat is what gives bakso its bounce.
Pound the chilled beef in a stone mortar, or pulse it in a food processor, with 1 clove garlic clove, 0.5 tsp salt, 0.25 tsp ground white pepper and 0.25 tsp bicarbonate of soda, adding the 45 ml ice water a spoonful at a time. Work only until you have a smooth, pale, sticky paste; stop and rest the machine if the paste starts to warm.
Scrape the paste into a chilled bowl and knead in the 30 g tapioca flour, then slap and throw the mixture against the side of the bowl for 2 minutes until it is glossy and springs back when pressed. Cover and chill for 15 minutes.