Bakso (Beef Meatball Soup)
Springy, bouncy beef meatballs in a clear garlic broth with noodles, greens, celery leaves and fried shallots. Add sweet soy sauce, chili sauce and a squeeze of lime at the table.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Blend the meatball mix
Put the cold beef, , egg white, 2 garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon of salt, ¼ teaspoon of white pepper and the sugar in a food processor. Blend 2–3 minutes, adding the ice water a little at a time, until it forms a smooth, sticky paste. Keep everything cold so the meatballs stay bouncy.
- 500g cold minced beef
- 3 tbsp
- 1 egg white
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp white pepper
- 1 tsp sugar
- 60ml ice-cold water
✅ Done when: paste is smooth, pale and sticky, holding together when pressed
Shape the meatballs
Bring the water to a gentle simmer in a large pot, not a hard boil. Wet your hands, squeeze paste through your fist and scoop off walnut-size balls with a wet spoon, dropping each one straight into the water.
- all meatball paste from step 1
- 2 litres water, for boiling
✅ Done when: balls are smooth, walnut-sized and have been dropped into the simmering water
Cook the meatballs
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Make the broth
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Cook the noodles and greens
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Serve
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Blend the meatball mix
Put the cold beef, , egg white, 2 garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon of salt, ¼ teaspoon of white pepper and the sugar in a food processor. Blend 2–3 minutes, adding the ice water a little at a time, until it forms a smooth, sticky paste. Keep everything cold so the meatballs stay bouncy.
- 500g cold minced beef
- 3 tbsp
- 1 egg white
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp white pepper
- 1 tsp sugar
- 60ml ice-cold water
✅ Done when: paste is smooth, pale and sticky, holding together when pressed
Shape the meatballs
Bring the water to a gentle simmer in a large pot, not a hard boil. Wet your hands, squeeze paste through your fist and scoop off walnut-size balls with a wet spoon, dropping each one straight into the water.
- all meatball paste from step 1
- 2 litres water, for boiling
✅ Done when: balls are smooth, walnut-sized and have been dropped into the simmering water
Cook the meatballs
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Make the broth
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Cook the noodles and greens
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Serve
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The Story Behind the Dish
The word bakso comes from the Hokkien Chinese word for 'shredded meat'. Chinese immigrants made pork meatballs, and Indonesian cooks switched to beef so that the mostly Muslim population could eat them.
Today bakso carts are everywhere in Indonesia. The seller taps a bowl with a spoon as they walk, and people run out to buy a bowl.
⭐ Why It's Famous
The meatballs are famously bouncy, and adding your own sweet soy, chili and lime makes each bowl personal.
💡 Fun Fact
Barack Obama lived in Jakarta as a child, and when he gave a speech there as president in 2010, bakso was one of the foods he fondly named.
Indonesia, from Chinese roots
-7.97°S, 112.63°E
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