Indulging in Indonesian Meatballs in the Cayman Islands

I live on Grand Cayman, the largest island in the Cayman Islands, a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean Sea. For a traveler, this is an ideal location (just a 1.5 hour flight from Miami, Florida) due to its pristine coasts with azure waters, white sand and tropical foliage. It is also warm all year long, making it a popular tourist destination.
The Cayman Islands are also known as a world financial industry center. The tourism and fiancé sectors draw people from all over the world. My colleagues and friends come from countries as diverse as Ireland, Australia, America, Canada, South Africa, New Zealand, and the Philippines. This place is a true melting pot!
Yet, after seven years here, trying all sorts of culinary delicacies from around the world, I still missed the taste of Indonesia.
One of the foods I missed most was bakso. The tasty, chewy meatballs of Indonesia were just impossible to forget.
One day, I did come across some frozen bakso in a supermarket. A pack of 10 small meatballs cost CI$7 (US$8.54). Expensive! I decided on the spot to try to find a bakso recipe so I could make the meatballs myself.
I tried a lot of recipes, but I couldn’t quite achieve the chewiness I was longing for.
Then I remembered a reliable recipe for pempek (fish snacks) whose chewiness is similar to that of bakso. This was a light bulb going on in my head moment, indeed!
So, in my next experiment with meatballs, I added in egg white and baking powder. Wow; that was it! I had finally achieved the ideal chewiness I had been dreaming of. I was delighted!
Making bakso in the Cayman Islands has turned out to be not only tasty, but also practical because the ingredients I need are readily available in supermarkets here, and produce meatballs worthy of Indonesian street vendors in no time at all!
Once I hit on the best recipe for bakso, I began experimenting with meats other than beef or chicken. It turns out that lamb and veal work equally well as long as I put in a bit of chicken too. If I want seafood bakso, all I need to do is replace the chicken or meat with fish or shrimp, or a mix of both.
I have even worked up the courage to take my bakso to potluck events at work. It turns out the Indonesian meatballs suit the tastes of my colleagues from all over the world. In fact, I was even asked to participate as representative from Indonesia at an International Women’s Day event.
I never would have dreamed that one day I would be promoting Indonesia with bakso. Freedom!