Chewy Tapioca Meatballs with Crunchy Chicken Cartilage

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1. 1

   Boil the chicken cartilage for 8-10 minutes until tender but still crunchy. Drain, chop, and set aside.

   💡 Beef cartilage can be boiled longer if needed.

   chicken cartilage 120 g

   🔥 boil⏱ 8-10 minutes▶ 3:09

2. 2

   In a bowl, combine ground beef, grated garlic, salt, pepper, beef bouillon, sugar, and MSG. Mix with water until a thick, sticky meat slurry forms.

   💡 The water helps bind the tapioca later.

   ground beef 200 ggarlic 3 clovessalt 2 ½ tsppepper 1/3 tspsugar 1 ½ tbspMSG ½ tspwater 200 ml

   ▶ 3:58

3. 3

   Add tapioca starch and flour to the meat slurry. Mix well. Set aside a small portion of the dough to make the fried wontons.

   💡 Do not add more water; the dough will feel heavy but this ensures a chewy texture.

   tapioca starch 200 g

   ▶ 4:35

4. 4

   Fold the chopped chicken cartilage into the remaining dough and mix thoroughly.

   💡 The dough should be thick enough to hold its shape.

   chicken cartilage 120 g

   ▶ 5:15

5. 5

   Bring a pot of water to a boil, then turn the heat off. Use a spoon to shape the dough into small balls and drop them into the hot water. Once they have set, turn the heat back to low and cook until they float.

   💡 Avoid boiling too long to prevent a mushy texture.

   water 200 ml

   🔥 boil▶ 5:20

6. 6

   For the fried version, take the reserved dough and place small amounts into pangsit skin. Fold into wonton shapes and fry in hot oil on medium-low heat until golden brown.

   💡 Medium-low heat allows the filling to expand and become spongy inside.

   oil 2 tbsppangsit skin 10-12 sheets

   🔥 medium-low heat▶ 6:47

7. 7

   For the chili oil, blend garlic, Thai chili, and curly red chili with oil. Sauté the mixture on medium-low heat until the water evaporates and the color deepens. Stir in mushroom bouillon and set aside.

   💡 Avoid high heat to prevent the garlic from turning bitter.

   garlic 3 cloveswater 200 mloil 2 tbspmushroom bouillon 1 tspcurly red chili 8 piecesThai chili 5 pieces

   🔥 medium-low heat → high heat▶ 7:42

8. 8

   For the broth base, sauté sliced garlic, shallots, and the white part of green onions in oil until browned. Blend with a little water to make a paste.

   💡 The paste can be blended with water to ensure a smooth consistency.

   garlic 3 cloveswater 200 mlwhite part of green onion 2 stalksshallots 6 clovesoil 2 tbspgreen onion 1 stalk

   ▶ 8:58

9. 9

   In a large pot, combine 2L of water with the spice paste, salt, chicken powder, sugar, pepper, and mushroom bouillon. Add whole green onions and celery. Bring to a boil.

   💡 You can add chicken feet or bones to the broth for extra richness.

   salt 2 ½ tsppepper 1/3 tspsugar 1 ½ tbspwater 200 mlmushroom bouillon 1 tspgreen onion 1 stalkcelery 2 stalks

   🔥 boil▶ 9:26

10. 10

    Add the cooked meatballs into the boiling broth. Serve in bowls topped with the fried wontons, fried shallots, celery, chili oil, and a squeeze of lime.

    💡 The lime juice adds a refreshing acidity to the savory broth.

    shallots 6 clovesoil 2 tbspcelery 2 stalksfried shallotslime

    ▶ 9:58

This recipe was organized from the source video's transcript. Amounts follow what the video presents. Source: Devina Hermawan on YouTube