Description
You’re going to love these meatballs in a mild spicy sweet soy sauce. They’re perfect served warm as an appetizer, but they also fit right in as part of an Indonesian rice table.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 2/3 pound ground beef and pork blend
- 4 shallots
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 small red chili pepper (such as a jalapeño)
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 beef bouillon cube (0.18 oz)
- 5 tablespoons kecap manis, divided (see above for a subsitute)
- 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
- 3 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon sambal oelek (or sriracha)
- Pinch of ground nutmeg
- Vegetable oil
Instructions
- In a bowl, knead together 2/3 pound ground beef and pork blend with 1 tablespoon kecap manis (see above for a subsitute), 1 large egg, a pinch of ground nutmeg, 1 teaspoon sambal oelek, about 1/4 cup breadcrumbs, 2 very finely minced shallots, 2 very finely minced cloves of garlic, and a pinch of salt and black pepper.
- Shape the mixture into meatballs. You can decide how large to make them. I usually make them about 1 big tablespoon each.
- Cook the meatballs over medium heat in a splash of sunflower oil until browned on all sides and cooked through.
- Meanwhile, make the sauce by very finely mincing 2 small shallots, 2 cloves of garlic, and 1 red chili, with or without the seeds. You can also use a food processor. Sauté briefly in a pan with a little sunflower oil.
- Add 4 tablespoons kecap manis, 3 tablespoons ketchup, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, and 1 tablespoon palm sugar or packed light brown sugar. Stir well to combine.
- Add 3/4 cup water and 1/2 crumbled beef bouillon cube. Bring just to a boil. Dissolve 2 tablespoons cornstarch in a little water and stir it into the sauce in stages until it begins to thicken.
- Once the sauce has reached the desired thickness, pour it over the meatballs and let everything simmer briefly over low heat. That’s it!
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Indonesian