Bakso: The Indonesian Meatball

When deliberating which dish will be on the stage, i endeavoured to select the one featuring Indonesian cuisine. It must be representative! It must be ubiquitous! And, the most important point is that it must be delicious! Then, a myriad of articles about Obama's visit in Indonesia drew my attention. At that time, the story of the U.S. President's favourite food-bakso made the rounds on social media. Therefore, i want you to have an opportunity to enjoy this appetizing dish without having to take a flight to this "land of thousand islands". When obtaining an insight into bakso, i figure out that it bears a great resemblance to meatball in Vietnam with only some alternatives in ingredients and technique. 

Bakso or baso (Indonesian meat ball), which owes its origin to Chinese, is popularized in Indonesia by virtue of immigrant. Gradually, it becomes a household word in Indonesia, especially in Malang and Wonogiri. It is also this Indonesian street food that has captivated Obama’s taste since his childhood in this “land of thousand islands”. Coming under the spotlight during the President’s visit, Bakso is called by another name “Bakso Obama” for the purpose of advertisement.  

Bakso advertisement (ooyi.wordpress.com)

 Bakso with Obama ( www.youtube.com)

There exists a multitude of versions of Bakso in Indonesia; however, the method to make this dish is basically the same. In this post , I will introduce you beef meatball Bakso recipe.

Part 1: Make Bakso soup

Ingredients+Seasonings

-     400 g veal bone
-          4 liter fresh water
-          5 cloves garlic, fried and mashed
-          Red onion 4 cloves, fried and mashed
-          Fried onions 1/2 tablespoon, mashed
-          Sugar 2 tsp
-          salt 1 tbsp
-          Pepper 1/2 tsp
-          4 stalks scallion, white part, thinly sliced
-          Instant beef broth, 2 tsp

How to make:

-          First, boil the water.
-          Enter all of the ingredients and seasonings together including onions and garlic.
-          Wait until boiling and mature bone.
-          Then reduce the heat and let the sauce will still be above the stove.

Part 2: Make beef meatballs

Ingredients:

-          250gr ground beef
-          2 tablespoons fried shallots
-          1 tablespoon garlic fries
-          1/2 teaspoon pepper
-          1 tsp salt
-          50 g of starch
-          40 g ice cubes, crushed
-          2 ltr of water to boil baks

How to make:

-          First, insert the meat, pepper, onion, salt, and flour in a food processor or blender. Then, mill them until they are smooth and well-blended.
-          Add ice cubes if the batter is buckled and hard-formed.
-          Heat the water over low heat until almost boiling.
-          Grasp the dough and press to appear between your thumb and forefinger.
-          Cut with a spoon and put the meatballs in hot water.
-          Do it until all the dough is finished.
-          Raising the heat and cook until all the Bakso are cooked.

How to make meatball (ridhaskitchen.com)

        Health issue is raised when borax is said to be used in the process of making meatballs with a view to preserving and making bakso more chewy. For fear of a serious deterioration in health, Indonesian Food and Drug Administration listed it as an unhealthy food. Therefore, bakso is demanded to expel borax from its procedure. Another matter is that many producers might utilize imported offal from cattle to make meatball in order to reduce cost of producing. According to a Sydney Morning Herald article, "Beef hearts give the bakso its signature chewy consistency, while other offcuts like tongue, lips and spleen can also find their way into the bakso concoction, mixed in with a little minced meat, flour, fat, spices and preservatives"(Allard, 2011, para.6). 

        Without doubt, enjoying street foods is spectacular; however, the matter of hygiene should be taken into account. And, a possible solution is that you can make use of the recipe in this post to serve your family with a fresh delicious handmade dish!

      References 

 1. Allard, T. (2011, March 5). Indonesian bakso may soon lose vital Inndonesian ingredients.  Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved October 26, 2015,                 from http://www.smh.com.au/world/indonesian-bakso-may-soon-lose-vital-australian-ingredient-20110304-1bhzt.html

      2. Bakso. (n.d.). Retrieved October 26, 2015, from   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bakso

      3. Gultom, A. (n.d.). How to make bakso: the Indonesian favourite food. Indonesian Sky.       Retrieved October 26, 2015, from http://www.travelfoodfashion.com/how-to-make- bakso/#