Indonesian · soup

Bakso (Beef Meatball Soup)

Name: Bakso (Beef Meatball Soup)
Prep time: 25 min
Total time: 1 h
Cuisine: Indonesian
Ingredients: 1 lb ground beef; 3 tbsp tapioca starch; 4 cloves garlic, minced; 1 tsp salt; 1/4 tsp baking powder; 6 cups beef broth; 6 oz yellow noodles; 3 oz rice vermicelli; 2 cups bok choy, chopped; 2 tbsp fried shallots; 2 tbsp sweet soy sauce; 2 tbsp chili sauce

Bakso (Beef Meatball Soup) reads umami 7.3, richness 4.7 and salinity 4.7 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Indonesian soup, about 1 hr. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

Umami & Savory — 7.9 / 10
Sweet & Fruity — 3.6 / 10
Sour & Bright — 1.8 / 10
Bitter & Earthy — 1.5 / 10
Rich & Fat — 4.7 / 10
Aromatic & Spice — 4.6 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 7.3 · Richness 4.7 · Salinity 4.7 · Allium 4.2 · Sweetness 3.2 · Heat 2.4 · Herbaceous 1.6 · Sourness 1.5 · Warm Spice 1.5 · Funk & Ferment 1.5 · Fruity 1.4 · Earthy 1.4 · Citrus 0.9 · Bitterness 0.9

What's in it (12)

1 lb ground beef
3 tbsp tapioca starch
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
6 cups beef broth
6 oz yellow noodles
3 oz rice vermicelli
2 cups bok choy, chopped
2 tbsp fried shallots
2 tbsp sweet soy sauce
2 tbsp chili sauce

Time & effort: about 1 hr (25 min active) · effort: medium

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 177.7 kcal, 12.6 g protein, 6.1 g fat, 17.9 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (3 steps)

Mix ground beef with tapioca, garlic, and salt into a smooth paste and form into balls, then poach in simmering water until cooked.
Serve meatballs in clear seasoned beef broth over noodles and bok choy.
Top with fried shallots and serve with sweet soy and chili sauce.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

Italian Sausage and White Bean Stew — Italian-American
Pot-au-Feu — French
Lumpiang Shanghai (Crispy Pork Spring Rolls) — Filipino
Pasta Fagioli with Italian Sausage — Italian-American
Spicy Sausage and Tortellini Soup — Italian-American

Keep reading: what umami, richness, salinity mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.