How to Make Bakso Goreng – Asian Deep Fried Meatballs
Asian deep-fried meatballs in Indonesia / Bakso Goreng are very delicious as side dish to a bowl of chicken noodle or even as afternoon snack! They are crunchy from the outside, soft and chewy inside!
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This is one important dish you must try if you travel to Asia! It’s crunchy on the skin and soft inside with bits of shrimp chunks. Most people use pork or chicken as the meat base. Some even use fish or minced beef!
They are delicious and an excellent choice for a side dish! You can usually find it in noodle shop. It is a perfect companion to a bowl of noodle. Shrimp meatballs or shrimp toast is another option if you love deep-fried stuff.
Chinese people call meatballs Lion’s head (獅子頭) and serve it with vermicelli, broth and vegetables. Italian-American meatballs are made of beef and pork and simmered with tomato sauce.
Other popular side dish from Asia include Xiu Mai, Potstickers, Fried Wontons. They are all easy to make and worth making for the whole family.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
Recipe Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
Eggs – Eggs will bind the meat together with the tapioca flour. It makes the texture bouncy and soft inside with a crispy skin on the outside.
Seasoning – Basically, you can use sesame oil, salt, pepper and mushroom powder. Some people use fish sauce or oyster sauce and other seasonings.
Garlic – I add minced garlic to make the meatballs more fragrant. Of course you can add scallions and coriander leaves if you like more aromatic flavors.
Meat – Meat part consists of 350 gr of ground chicken fillet (chicken thigh would be a better choice) or pork (combined with a little fat; this one is the best option ) and 150 gr shrimps.
Although using lean meats like chicken (breast part) or turkey is okay, you might want to consider adding a little extra fat, such as bacon or rendered pork fat, to prevent dryness.
I would highly recommend a ratio of 70% lean to 30% fat to keep the moist, tender texture.
Baking powder and baking soda – Baking powder and baking soda are to make the meatballs form a fully developed shape and crunchy.
Variations
Other than chicken, you can use is minced beef or pork. Choose the part with a little fat. This will make your meatball texture more bouncy and juicy.
The ratio of meat and shrimps is after all very flexible. You can add more shrimp if you like, as long as the total amount of the meat part is 500 gr.
How to Make
STEP 1. Put the chicken meat and shrimp in the food processor (image 1).
STEP 2. Add eggs, salt, pepper, mushroom powder, sugar into the bowl. (image 2, 3, 4)
STEP 3. Pour in sesame oil and vegetable oil (image 5). Add chopped garlic (image 6). Pour in water (image 7) and add baking powder, baking soda into it (image 8).
STEP 4. Add in tapioca flour into the bowl (image 9). Process and mix well (image 10).
STEP 5. Heat cooking oil in a pot 175-190°C. The cooking oil should be enough to dip the batter until it is fully submerged. Check if the oil is hot enough using a wooden stick. If small bubbles come out at the stick, it is ready to fry.
STEP 6. Shape the meatballs using 2 spoons (Image 11), by scooping it back and forth, and scoop it with a cookie scoop as I have shown in the video. If it is your first time, don’t worry if it is not a perfect round shape. Practice, you will be able to make it round enough it will glide on the table. 🙂
Drop into the hot cooking oil (Image 12). It will be at the bottom of the pan first. The batter will later float when it is well cooked. You can stir it once in a while. Keep the stove on medium heat. Take out the meatballs and put them on a paper towel, let the oil drain until they are dry. Cut them in bite sizes. Serve with the dipping chilli sauce.
Serving
Now that you have finished deep frying the meatballs, cut the fried meatballs into bite size. Serve with chilli sauce, or Sriracha mayo sauce.
This side dish is perfect when you pair it with Mun tahu (ground pork tofu with shrimp), or Egg drop soup or Egg Fried Rice.
Pro Tips
- Another way to make the batter round is by using an ice-cream scoop. If you practice using two spoons, you will be better along the way.
- Chill the batter in the fridge. It is much easier to shape it into balls with your hands.
- To prevent burning on only one side, keep stirring the meatballs with long chopsticks. The perfect color should be a little brown. The meatballs will be floating eventually when it is done. However, you still have to pay attention to the color. Adjust the heat.
- It will take around 20 to 25 minutes to let it cook well inside. It also depends on the size of the balls. You do not want a meatball that is still raw in the middle part.
- When the meatballs start to float in the cooking oil, it is almost done. Stir around with chopsticks or spatula.
- Drain the excess oil on cooling rack or kitchen towel.
FAQs about Bakso Goreng
Storage
If you have some leftover, you can store them in a plastic container in the chiller. The next day, you can use air-frier to heat them up or simply put them in the microwave.
Should you choose to fry the meatballs at a later time, whether it be the following day or 2 days later, please note that the batter can be safely stored in the refrigerator overnight or even in the freezer.
Transfer the batter from the freezer to the chiller a day in advance. Before frying, allow the batter to rest at room temperature for approximately 15 – 20 minutes before proceeding with the frying process.
Deep Fried Meatballs
Equipment
- 1 deep fry wok
- 2 tablespoons
- 1 food processor
- 1 mixing bowl
Ingredients
Meat
- 350 gr ground chicken chicken thigh or pork with fat
- 150 gr shrimp peeled and deveined
Dry ingredients
- 1 tsp pepper
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp mushroom powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 300 gr tapioca flour
Wet Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 4-5 garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp water
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
Chilli Sauce
- 2 tbsp tomato sauce
- 2 tbsp chilli sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp vinegar
- 100-200 ml water
Instructions
- Put the chicken meat and shrimp in the food processor.
- Add chopped garlic, eggs, seasoning (salt, pepper, mushroom powder, sugar) into the bowl.
- Pour in sesame oil and vegetable oil. Add chopped garlic.
- Pour in water and add baking powder, baking soda into it.
- Add in tapioca flour into the bowl. Process and mix well.
- Heat cooking oil in a pot 175-190°C. The cooking oil should be enough to dip the batter until it is fully submerged.
- Check if the oil is hot enough using a wooden stick. If small bubbles come out at the stick, it is ready to fry.
- Shape the meatballs using 2 spoons, by scooping it back and forth, and scoop it with a cookie scoop as I have shown in the video. If it is your first time, don't worry if it is not a perfect round shape. Practice, you will be able to make it round enough it will glide on the table. 🙂
- To prevent burning on only one side, keep stirring the meatballs with long chopsticks.
- It will take around 20 to 25 minutes to let it cook well inside. You do not want a meatball that is still raw in the middle part.
- The perfect color should be a little brown. The meatballs will be floating eventually when it is done. However, you still have to pay attention to the color.
- Take out the meatballs and put them on a paper towel, let the oil drain until they are dry.
- Cut them in bite sizes. Serve with the dipping chilli sauce.
You should try this deep-fried meatballs from Asia! It is super easy and quick to prepare and very delicious! Kids will love it for afternoon snack.