Indonesian meatballs in sweet soy sauce

Finger-licking good

Did you enjoy our Indonesian mini meatballs?

Then you’re going to love these meatballs in a mild spicy sweet soy sauce. They’re perfect served warm as an appetizer or snack, but they also fit right in as part of an Indonesian rice table. The combination of well-seasoned meat and a lightly sweet sauce makes them a favorite with guests. Don’t be surprised if they disappear fast.

Kecap manis

An important ingredient in this recipe is kecap manis. This is a thick, sweet Indonesian soy sauce with a distinctive flavor that’s widely used in Indonesian cooking. Its syrupy texture and rich flavor come from palm sugar and spices like star anise and cloves. It adds sweetness, depth, and a touch of warmth to this dish. Combined with the other ingredients in the sauce, it creates a bold flavor in every bite. If you can’t find kecap manis, you can use a sweet soy sauce instead. Just make sure to choose a thick, syrupy variety, as thinner versions won’t provide the same flavor and texture.

If you don’t have either on hand, you can easily make a substitute at home. In this recipe, we use 5 tablespoons kecap manis. You can replace it with a mix of 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons molasses, and 2 tablespoons brown sugar. You can make this ahead of time if you want the sauce to thicken slightly, but that’s not required.

The perfect meatballs

For these meatballs, we mix ground beef and pork blend with kecap manis (or sweet soy sauce), one large egg, a pinch of ground nutmeg, a little sambal oelek (or sriracha) for gentle heat, breadcrumbs, and very finely minced shallots and cloves of garlic. Season with salt and black pepper, then shape into meatballs.

You can make them any size you like, but we usually shape them into small balls, about 1 big tablespoon of mixture each. Smaller than a golf ball, but bigger than tiny soup meatballs. Cook them in a skillet with a little vegetable oil until browned on all sides and cooked through.

The sweet soy sauce

The sauce is what really brings these meatballs together. Finely chop the shallots, a clove garlic, and one small red chili, with or without the seeds depending on how much heat you want. Sauté them briefly in a saucepan with a splash of vegetable oil until softened.

Add kecap manis (or sweet soy sauce), ketchup, ground ginger, palm sugar or packed light brown sugar, water, and 1/2 crumbled beef bouillon cube (0.18 oz). Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer. In a small bowl, mix some cornstarch with a little water and stir it into the sauce a bit at a time until it thickens to your liking. Pour the sauce over the meatballs and let everything simmer together on low heat for a few minutes.

Serve and enjoy

These Indonesian meatballs in mild spicy sweet soy sauce are great as an appetizer, but they’re also delicious served with white rice or nasi goreng. Finish with chopped fresh parsley or sliced green onions for a little color and freshness. One thing’s for sure, they’ll be a hit.

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