Bakso

Rinse the beef bones and trimmings, cover with water and bring to a boil; skim off the foam, reduce the heat and simmer for 90–120 minutes to get a rich broth.

Crush the garlic for the broth with white peppercorns, fry in vegetable oil for about 2 minutes until fragrant, transfer into the broth and season with salt.

For the meatballs, blend lean beef, egg, tapioca starch, fried shallots, garlic for the meatballs, salt, sugar and ice water in a food processor until you get a smooth, sticky paste; keep the mixture cold.

Strain the finished broth, remove the bones and trimmings, return the liquid to the pot and keep at a gentle simmer. Cook one test meatball, taste and adjust the salt if needed.

With wet hands, shape the rest of the meatballs and drop them into the broth; simmer for about 10 minutes, until the meatballs float and are heated through in the center.

Separately cook rice vermicelli according to the package instructions, and blanch the pak choi in hot water until tender; drain both.

Divide the rice vermicelli and pak choi among bowls, add the meatballs, ladle over hot broth, and sprinkle with celery, spring onion and fried shallots.

Serve the bakso with sambal, sweet soy sauce and tomato ketchup — let everyone add them to taste.