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Indonesian

Bakso

Non-vegetarian

Springy beef meatballs in a clear, garlicky beef broth with noodles, greens and fried shallots — Indonesia's favourite street-cart soup.

Bakso is an Indonesian soup, ready in about 1 hour and made with ground beef and tapioca starch. It serves 4 and is rated intermediate to cook.

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A serving of Bakso
Photo: winarti67 / Pixabay · Pixabay Content License
Prep
30 min
Cook
30 min
Total
1 h
Serves
4
Level
Intermediate
Calories
700

Ingredients

4 servings

For the meatballs

For the soup

To serve

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Pulse the cold beef with the garlic (opens in a new tab) (already fried golden), salt, pepper and sugar (opens in a new tab) in a food processor (opens in a new tab), then add the egg white (opens in a new tab), starch and ice water and blend to a smooth, sticky paste.

    Keep everything very cold; it makes the meatballs bouncy.

  2. Step 2

    Fry the sliced garlic (opens in a new tab) and shallots (opens in a new tab) in the oil until golden and crisp; lift out and reserve. Add the oil to the stock.

    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Bring a pot of water to a bare simmer. Squeeze the paste through your fist into balls, scoop off with a wet spoon and drop into the water. Cook until they float, then 3 minutes more.

    Food safety: Minced beef should be cooked through to 71 °C; whole steak pieces can be served pink if seared on all sides.

  4. Step 4

    Heat the stock with the salt, add the meatballs and the bok choy (opens in a new tab) and simmer 2 minutes.

    • 4 min
    • medium heat

  5. Step 5

    Divide both noodles among bowls, add meatballs and greens, ladle over broth and top with the crisp shallots (opens in a new tab) and garlic (opens in a new tab), spring onion (opens in a new tab) and celery (opens in a new tab). Season at the table with kecap manis (opens in a new tab) and sambal.

    • 3 min

About this dish

Origin
Indonesia · Commonly attributedDerived from Chinese-Indonesian meatballs; now an Indonesian national favourite, usually made with beef.Also popular in MalaysiaMore food from Indonesia
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Snack · Soups · Street food
Cooking method
Boiled, Simmered
Taste
savoury, garlicky, umami, mild
Diet
Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · High-protein
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Street food · Freezer-friendly · Child-friendly
Cook more with
Ground beef · Tapioca starch · Garlic · Egg white · White pepper · Sugar
Techniques
Boiling · Simmering

Allergens

  • Contains: Eggsfrom egg white, egg noodles
  • Contains: Wheatfrom egg noodles, kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)
  • Contains: Glutenfrom egg noodles, kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)
  • Contains, can be adapted: Soyfrom kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)
  • Contains, can be adapted: Celeryfrom beef stock, celery

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

700 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 702 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 22%
  • Carbohydrate 38%
  • Fat 40%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy700 kcal100 kcal
Protein38.8 g5.5 g
Carbohydrate66.3 g9.4 g
Net carbohydrate63 g9 g
Sugars7.3 g1 g
Added sugars1 g0.1 g
Fibre3.3 g0.5 g
Fat30.7 g4.4 g
Saturated fat8.4 g1.2 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol106 mg15 mg
Sodium1657 mg236 mg
Salt equivalent4.1 g0.6 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
1425 mg
Calcium
152 mg
Iron
6.1 mg
Magnesium
87 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
125 µg
Vitamin C
29 mg
Vitamin D
0.2 µg
Vitamin B12
2.8 µg
Folate (DFE)
157 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: celery, kecap manis (sweet soy sauce), chilli sauce (sriracha-style).
  • Tapioca starch: Dry pearl tapioca (FDC 169717) used as a stand-in; both are almost pure cassava starch.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Never boil the meatballs hard — they toughen and crack.

Common mistakes

  • Using fatty mince, which makes the meatballs soft and greasy instead of springy.

Serve with

  • Add fried wontons or tofu for a 'bakso komplit'.

Storage

  • Cooked meatballs freeze for 3 months.

Reheating

  • Simmer frozen meatballs in the broth for 8–10 minutes.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Sauces, chutneys & dips for this dish

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

For the meatballs

Used in step 1

Reviews & corrections

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