Bakso Abang Abang

You know those meatballs they serve in Vietnamese pho? This particular style of meatball is similar but has a softer texture. Indonesian street vendors would mix in extra starch to extend the protein (and their wallets). Basically it's beef-flavored tapioca ball.

I freeze the meat first to ensure the heat of the food processor does not cook the meat prematurely. If you like a bouncier, more meat-y meatball, reduce the amount of tapioca to half.

Ingredients

PASTE
1 tbsp fried garlic
1 tbsp fried shallot
2 fresh garlic
1 fresh shallot
2 tsp salt
2 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp MSG
MEATBALL
350g flank or brisket (or any cheap, lean cut of beef), frozen then cut into 2" cubes
2 egg whites
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
100g tapioca
3-4 ice cubes

4-6 servings

Directions

Add all the paste ingredients in a spice grinder and grind into a smooth paste.

Put the beef and egg whites in a food processor and pulse til finely ground. Add the baking powder, soda, ice cubes and tapioca starch. Pulse til mix is homogeneous. Remove the ice cubes that haven't melted and put meatball mix in a bowl. Refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight.

When you're ready to make the meatballs boil a large pot of water. When it boils, take it off the heat and put it next to you.

Make the meatballs by squeezing a ball between your thumb and forefinger. Put the ball in the hot water. When you've used all the meatball mix boil the pot til the meatballs float.

90 minutes - 1 day