← Nouns Cooking · Indonesian & Filipino

Ingredients

• 500 g skinless chicken breast, cut into chunks and chilled
• 4 cloves Garlic, grated
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Sugar
• ½ tsp White pepper
• 4 tbsp Tapioca starch
• 1 tsp Baking powder
• 1 egg white
• 6 tbsp ice-cold water
• 1.5 l chicken stock
• 2 tbsp Vegetable oil
• 3 cloves Garlic, thinly sliced
• Salt
• 150 g Rice vermicelli
• 4 Bok choy, halved
• 100 g Bean sprouts
• 2 Spring onion, sliced
• 1 handful Chinese celery leaves, chopped (optional)
• 3 tbsp Crispy fried shallots (optional)
• 2 tbsp Sambal oelek (optional)
• 1 Lime, cut into wedges

Method

1. Pulse the chicken in a food processor with the grated garlic, salt, sugar and pepper for about 1 minute until finely minced.
2. Add the starch, baking powder, egg white and iced water and process for 1–2 min more until you have a very smooth, sticky paste. Cover and chill for 30 min.
3. Bring the stock to a gentle simmer in a large pot. With wet hands, squeeze a little paste up between your thumb and forefinger, scoop off walnut-size balls with a wet spoon and drop them into the stock.
4. Simmer the meatballs gently for 8–10 min until they float, feel firm and reach 75°C (165°F) in the middle.
5. Meanwhile, fry the sliced garlic in the oil in a small pan over low heat for 2–3 min until pale gold, then tip the garlic and oil into the soup. Season with salt.
6. Soak or cook the vermicelli as the packet says. Blanch the bok choy and bean sprouts in the soup for 1 minute.
7. Divide the noodles and greens between bowls, add meatballs and hot broth, and top with spring onion, celery leaves and fried shallots. Serve with sambal and lime.

Tips

• Keep everything ice cold while processing; warm paste gives dense meatballs instead of springy ones.
• Kecap manis is often splashed in at the table, and some fried shallots are dusted with flour; both contain wheat.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Daily Cooking Quest What To Cook Today Nomadette