Not Rubbery: Bakso in Chow Kit

Indonesians have for many years made up one of the largest groups of migrant workers in Malaysia. We're happy about that, because where migrant workers go good, authentic versions of their local favorites often follow. Thus, here in KL we've been able to sample home country-worthy versions of nasi Padang and pecel jawa and, now, bakso.

Also known as baso or ba'so, bakso -- meat balls, essentially -- are a ubiquitous Indonesian street food. Served in broth, with or without noodles, they show up in a range of sizes and regional variations (bakso tenis, for example - east Javanese tennis ball-sized meatballs containing a hard-boiled egg).

Restoran TAR, an Indonesian nosh spot sited on a busy corner within spitting distance of Chow Kit's monorail station, boasts a stall serving up a golf ball-sized version. The vendor hails from Solo, east of Jogjakarta, and maintains that his bakso are as close as they come (in KL) to those served in his hometown.

It's not a complicated dish: soup, noodles, balls, greens. We find this vendor's broth to be truly meaty and free of artificial-tasting MSG oomph. Mee (noodles) are served a bit al dente - a good thing, as they'll continue to cook in the bowl, though in all truth noodles are second fiddle to meat balls in this dish - and greens are plentiful. Slivers of fried shallots and bits of coriander round out the bowl.

Now, about the bakso. These, made with a bit of tapioca flour, successfully straddle that fine line between chewy and rubbery enough to bounce around the mouth like a super ball. There's a bit of resistance to the teeth, but not enough to send a meat ball flying out the pie hole at first chomp. Good, discernible meat flavor combined with a pleasing texture. Thumbs up.

The whole rises above 'pretty darned good' with a generous squeeze of tart and fiery fresh chile sambal from the plastic ketchup bottle on our table.

If you've made a stop at Restoran TAR it's worth also tucking into the rojak sayur ('sayur' = vegetable) offered by the sturdy woman manning, as it were, the rojak stall out front. She makes the peanut 'dressing' to top her 'salad' of cooked cabbage, long beans, sprouts, cucumber, and fried tofu to order, grinding nuts with other ingredients in a batu base, the traditional Indonesian saucer-like stone mortar. A request for 'spicy' delivered a peanut sauce that, behind its cloak of sweetness, packed a whallop of a burn.

The truly gluttonous will want to end their meal with a grossly humongous Indonesian cendol, a tower of shaved iced doused with coconut milk and palm sugar and, if you wish, chocolate. We weren't up for it, but we hail those at neighboring tables who rose to the challenge.

Special Khas Solo bakso, rojak sayur, and cendol stalls at Restoran TAR, Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman just below the monorail station, 2 minutes' walk from Chow Kit Market. Nasi Padang and ikan bakar (at night) are also served here. Seating is proprietary - you must order from a vendor's stall to earn the right to sit at his/her tables (ie., if you want to claim a streetside table, make rojak sayur or the cendol a part of your meal).

Comments

[Nate]

I'm not a big fan of rojak, but ikan bakar is another story. Could you return to review that dish, or is there another place more worthy?

[Robyn]

Nate - We like Pak Din's grilled fish, over in the Lake Gardens. Check November archives, I think, or google 'EatingAsia family affair' for details. Lunch only, unfortunately.

[Jem]

You made the occassion of biting through a perfectly normal meatball into something like gourmet food tasting. Was it something that came through the mind at the exact moment or something that is thought of long after the action? Don't mind me asking though, because I don't think I could come up with words like that. It surely did put color and excitement into the action and made me want to see things through your perception the next time I eat the same thing.

Thank you!

[Robyn]

Jem- actually, we do discuss what we're eating (good, bad, textures, sensations) as we're eating (and did so long before ever starting the blog) and I recall Dave observing that these bakso were rather different to most Malaysian 'balls' (fish pork or otherwise) in their bit of give to the teeth. Very pleasing.
All this means, of course, that you would not want to eat with us, unless you enjoy discussion to the Nth degree of what you're putting in your mouth!

[Haq]

Trying to fit in a lunch at TAR Restaurant within these coming weeks. I'm salivating just through reading!

[Phil]

I've seen bakso before but not bakso tenis (with an egg). So any bets on whether the scotch egg came first?

[Robyn]

Ah, Phil - intriguing question! One for the serious culinary historian, I think.

[dwi]

First time I saw 'rojak' spelt like that, interesting, got to be the malay influence. No rujak buah (with fruit)? That's another delight.Yum....
Oh, scotch egg may be way ahead of bakso tenis. If I remember it correctly, bakso tenis started became very popular in 1980s...

[dyah]

"rujak sayur" is indonesian food called 'gado-gado'. hhmmm, I'll come for this.
If the vendor really from Solo, You came to the right place for bakso.

[Ari]

I bet for a total foreigner who have never taste "exotic" Asian food before, bakso looks really dull. But to an Indonesian like me, bakso reminds me of friends and family. Oh, and Dyah, you just confirmed my suspicion. So, "rujak sayur" is the way the Malaysians call our "gado-gado"?

[Lilu]

Ari, gado-gado is also called gado-gado in Malaysia. There are some differences in the seasoning between Malaysian and Indonesian, but basically both are similar.