EXCERPT:
“I think they pay you too well,” Holly waved a chicken satay stick to indicate the table and the room.
“No,” Noor smiled, “they don’t. Grandmother thought you would appreciate it. It is her way of saying thank you for your quick work resolving the crash today.”
“Nice grandmother,” Mike sipped his wine.
“She…can be.”
“Well thank her. This is a fine end to the day. What’s her name?”
“Rachel Yung.”
Holly spit a mouthful of chicken satay onto the table, causing Miranda to become even more skeptical about her dish than she had been—Holly was not one given to spitting out food of any type.
What was Nasi Goreng Bakso? Noor had described it as twice-fried rice with spicy meatballs. But she could see the rice was thick with little bits of shallot, red pepper, and scrambled egg. Tucked in around the edge of the bowl were sliced cucumbers, tomatoes, and lime wedges. Smells of garlic, chili paste, and several things she could identify filled the air. Everything touching each other; she didn’t like her food doing that, it was confusing. Who knew, there could even be mushrooms lurking in there just waiting to make her teeth feel all funny.
“Rachel Yung?” Holly gasped out. “The Rachel Yung?”
Miranda looked at her. “There must be more than one Rachel Yung. Neither the given nor the surname are particularly rare. A singular The Rachel Yung seems statistically unlikely.”
Holly ignored her and faced Noor, waiting for an answer.
Noor answered slowly. “She’s a chief in the Royal Malaysian Police.”
“Head of Special Branch,” Holly stated flatly. “That’s some grandmother you have there, Lieutenant Noor.”NOTE: Nasi Goreng (fried rice) is one of the national dishes of Indonesia, eaten widely among the Malays throughout Southeast Asia. Wikipedia lists 120 primary variations. I often ate this dish during my travels there, but I also loved finding a good Bakso Soup (essentially chicken noodle soup with small meatballs) in almost every night market (Labuhan Lombok, Indonesia had the best). So, here’s my take on Nasi Goreng Bakso.
NOTE 2: And Bakso Soup. The broth is well down the road to making Bakso Soup. Consider doubling the amount of broth and meatballs (but reserving 1/2 of the meatball mix in the refrigerator). On the next day, reheat the broth, cook the meatballs as below and remove them to serving bowls. Cook Chinese egg or rice noodles in the broth per packet instructions (typically 1-2 minutes), then ladle into the bowls (American wide egg noodles work great as well, but you’ll need to add more broth to cook). Top with thin-sliced shallot, parsley or other greens, soy sauce, and sambal (chili paste, substitute Sriracha in a pinch). Two dinners in one—and seriously yum!
Active time: 45 minutes / Cook time: 10-15 minutes / Total time: 45 minutes / Serves: 4
Ingredients for the Broth for the Meatballs
- 2 c. beef broth in a med. saucepan
- 3 cloves of garlic, sliced
- Ginger, several thin slices (or 1/2 tsp. dried)
- 1/2 tsp. sugar
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. white pepper
Ingredients for the Bakso (Meatballs)
- 1 lb. lean ground beef
- 3 oz. cornstarch (this amount is not a typo)
- 3 cloves of garlic, chop coarsely
- Small handful of cilantro or parsley (leaves and stalks)
- 1/2 tsp. ground white pepper
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
Ingredients for the Nasi Goreng
- 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil, divided
- 1 lg. shallot, minced
- 2 red chili peppers (capsicum) seeded and chopped (substitutes: 4 dried red chili peppers whole, or 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes)
- 1/4 green bell pepper, chopped medium
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp. shrimp paste (optional but recommended) (substitutes: fish or oyster sauce)
- 2 tsp. sambal, red chili paste (substitutes: Sriracha)
- 1-2 c. chopped vegetables (carrots, corn, peas, shredded cabbage…)
- 3 c. cooked rice, cooled. (We use a long-grain/wild mix, but white or brown works fine). Best if refrigerated overnight (uncovered is even better). Break up clumps.
- 3 Tbsp. sweet soy sauce (kecap manis) (substitutes: Hoisin sauce or oyster sauce with 3 tsp. brown sugar, or 1/2c. soy sauce + 1/2 c. water + 1/2 c. brown sugar or honey and simmer until thick)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Garnish with: chopped scallions, sliced cucumber, diced tomato, lime wedges add a nice brightness. A fried egg on top is very traditional, especially for breakfast.
Making the Bakso
- Combine all the broth ingredients, and simmer covered for 20 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- Combine all Bakso ingredients in a food processer for 1 minute until smooth.
- Keep hands wet with cold water for the next couple steps.
- Gather a fistful of the meat.
- Leaving a circle with your thumb and index finger, squeeze out a 3/4” ball.
- Pluck and set on a damp (not wet) plate.
- Continue through all the meat.
- With damp hands, roll balls smooth.
- Strain and return broth to the pot. Cook 3 minutes in simmering broth. Remove Bakso and set aside.
Making the Nasi Goreng
- Heat 1 Tbsp. of the oil in a wok or heavy-bottomed skillet on high.
- Sauté the shallot and chilis and green pepper until browning (2-3 minutes).
- Add garlic and sauté until fragrant (about 30 seconds).
- Add shrimp paste and sambal, stir to combine. Scoop into serving bowl.
- Add 1 Tbsp. of oil. Sauté vegetables. Scoop into serving bowl.
- Variation (Nasi Goreng Ayam, chicken): Dice 1-2 chicken breasts into 1/2” pieces (easier if first frozen for 15 minutes). Cook diced chicken. Scoop into serving bowl.
- Add sweet soy sauce and rice. Stir constantly to avoid sticking until rice is all hot (3-5 minutes). (Common variation: once hot, push everything to the side. Scramble 1-2 eggs in the open spot and then mix them in.) (Variation 2: add tofu here instead of meat.)
- Add everything from serving bowl and mix together.
- Serve into individual bowls and garnish.
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A fistful of smooth-blended meat. |
Squish. One meatball (make them smaller than this). |
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A bowl of Nasi Goreng Bakso (with the egg cooked in, but oversized meatballs which took longer to cook). |
Bakso Soup (second night) |
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Nasi Goreng Ayam (chicken) and garnished with the egg on top. |
