Bakso Sapi Saus Padang - Indonesian Spicy Meatballs

5.0 from 5 reviews

Author: Anita Jacobson

Categories: Main Dish

Cuisines: Indonesian

Ingredients: Beef

Prep Time: 20 mins

Cook Time: 25 mins

Total Time: 45 mins

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• Bakso sapi (Beef meatballs)
• 450 gram (1 lb.) ground beef
• 100 gram tapioca starch
• 100 gram ice cubes, crushed
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Saus Padang (spicy tomato sauce)
• 2 tablespoon oil
• 100 gram onion, thinly sliced
• 3-5 Thai red bird eye chilies (Indonesian: cabe rawit merah), seeded and thinly sliced
• 2 red fresno chilies (Indonesian: cabe merah besar), seeded and thinly sliced
• 3-5 dried red chilies (Indonesian: cabe merah kering), seeded
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 inch ginger, bruised
• 200 ml beef stock (or water) (*)
• 2 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1/4 cup tomato ketchup
• 2 tablespoon chili sauce (**)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• corn starch slurry (2 teaspoon corn starch + 4 teaspoon water, mix well)
• 1-2 scallions, thinly sliced (for garnish, optional)

Instructions

• Bakso sapi (Beef meatballs)
  1. Mix all meatball ingredients together. Shape into meatballs, each about 1 tablespoon worth.
  2. Boil a pot of water in a pot (about 70% full). Once it boils, drop meatballs into boiling water. The meatballs are cooked once they float to the surface. If your pot is small, you may want to cook the meatballs in batches.
  3. Scoop out the cooked meatballs with a slotted spoon and set them aside.
• Saus Padang (spicy tomato sauce)
  1. Heat oil in a skillet/frying pan over medium high heat. Sauté onion, all the chilies, garlic, and ginger until the onion looks translucent.
  2. Add beef stock, oyster sauce, tomato ketchup, chili sauce, salt, ground pepper, and sugar. Mix well and bring to a boil.
  3. Give a quick taste test, and add salt/sugar/pepper as needed. Then thicken the sauce by adding the corn starch slurry, continue stirring until the sauce is thick, about 2 minutes.
  4. Return the cooked meatballs into the skillet/frying pan. Gently toss to coat meatballs with sauce.
  5. Transfer to a serving plate, garnish with thinly sliced scallions, and serve immediately with steamed white rice.

Notes

• (*) I usually use the water from boiling the meatballs for this.
• (**) Best if you can use Indonesian chili sauce. Or, just use sriracha.