Bakso Malang
In this recipe
About this recipe
Bakso Malang is a full bowl meal: springy beef meatballs, stuffed tofu, soft siomay-style dumplings, vermicelli, and a clear savory broth.
The bounce in bakso comes from cold meat, ice, and thorough pounding or processing—not from shortcuts with too much flour alone.
Set up a topping bar so children can choose what goes in their bowl. It turns a long cook into a fun family dinner.
Prep & cook time
- Prep45 minutes
- Cook45 minutes
- Total90 minutes
- Servings6 servings
- LevelHard
Tools you need
- Food processor or mortar
- Large pot
- Slotted spoon
- Mixing bowls
- Ice
Ingredients
- 500 g very cold ground beef (partially frozen helps)
- 100 g tapioca starch
- 6 cloves fried garlic, crushed
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon white pepper
- 100 g ice cubes or ice water, as needed
- 6–8 pieces firm tofu, hollowed for stuffing (optional)
- Wonton wrappers, for fried pangsit (optional)
- 200 g rice vermicelli
- Mustard greens or bok choy
- 1.5 L beef stock
- Fried shallots, celery, sweet soy sauce, sambal, for serving
Directions
- Process the cold beef with salt, pepper, and fried garlic until sticky. Add ice gradually, then tapioca, and mix until springy and paste-like. Keep cold.
- With wet hands, shape into meatballs. Stuff some mixture into hollowed tofu if using.
- Bring a pot of water to a gentle boil. Cook meatballs (and stuffed tofu) until they float and are cooked through, 8–12 minutes. Transfer to cool water briefly to firm.
- Heat the beef stock; season lightly with salt and a little fried garlic.
- Soak vermicelli; blanche greens. Fry wonton wrappers into crisp pangsit if desired.
- Build bowls with vermicelli, greens, bakso, and tofu.
- Ladle over hot stock. Top with celery, fried shallots, pangsit, sweet soy, and sambal.
Kitchen tips
- Keep the mixture cold at every stage for the signature bounce.
- Do not boil meatballs violently or they can crack.
- Make extra meatballs and freeze raw on a tray for later.
- Use low-sodium stock if cooking for children; season at the table.
Serve with
- Sweet soy sauce
- Chili sauce
- Fried pangsit
- Lime
How to store
Cooked bakso and stock keep 2–3 days refrigerated. Freeze cooked meatballs up to 1 month; thaw in simmering broth.
Common mistakes
- Warm meat mixture, which makes bakso dense instead of springy.
- Too much tapioca, which creates a gummy, pasty bite.
- Over-salting the stock before tasting with toppings and soy sauce.