0 Tasting pork meatball soup in Singaraja

A dish commonly sold on the street and in the restaurants and cafes of Indonesia is bakso (meatball soup). Most bakso served in Bali is similar to that in Java, as it is branded with the name of Javanese cities, like bakso Solo or bakso Malang, which includes beef or chicken meatballs. However, in Singaraja, there is a warung (food stall) offering meatballs made of pork. Since pork is known as a haram (forbidden by Islamic teaching) food, the owner of this warung uses this word “haram” as a gimmick. 

Located on Jl. Ahmad Yani in Singaraja, Bakso Haram attracts attention thanks to its unique branding. The main menu item offered at this stall is bakso celeng. There are also other variants like bakso telor (egg meatballs), bakso urat, bakso campur (mixed meatballs), as well as bakso biasa and bakso super biasa. All servings can be enjoyed with a portion of rice. A complete package is also available here, with meatballs served with satay pelecing consisting of skewered pork. 

The price of one portion ranges from Rp 8,000 (66 US cents) to Rp 12,000. The warung also offers unique decorations. In the entrance, a small monument in the shape of a pig welcomes customers. There are eight tables marked Haram 1 to Haram 8, in addition to other unique ornaments inside.The owners started their business selling nasi campur (Balinese mixed rice) and bakso in a street-side stall. Four years ago, they decided to open a warung under the name Bakso Haram. 

“My husband had the idea to use the word ‘haram’ to attract people’s attention. Customers will be curious to taste our menu,” said the owner, Ni Made Andriani. To maintain its quality, the owners only use chewy pork. “We usually use the meat from a pig aged five or six months as the main ingredient. The older the pig the better, because the meat will be chewy,” she said, adding that another secret to creating a delicious taste was using no preservatives.

Thanks to its consistency in maintaining quality, Bakso Haram already has a lot of loyal customers from outside Bali, including from Sweden. The warung serves customers from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

source : bali daily