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1
Combine the breadcrumbs and coconut milk in a small bowl and allow to soak for 5 minutes, then squeeze out the excess liquid so the paste binds the meat without making it wet and slack. The soaked crumb should be a cohesive, damp paste — not wet, not dry. Chill the pork mince for 30 minutes before proceeding, because cold fat holds the mixture together during forming and prevents it from smearing and losing texture in the hand.
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2
In a mixing bowl, combine the minced pork shoulder, squeezed breadcrumb paste, garlic, shallots, coriander, soy sauce, white pepper, and salt, then work the mixture by hand until it holds together as a single cohesive mass — this sustained kneading builds enough structure in the meat to hold the ball without egg as a binder. Do not add egg. The finished mixture should feel dense and resilient under the fingers — not slack, not wet — then chill for 30 minutes so the fat firms again and rolling becomes clean.
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3
Form the chilled mixture into balls of approximately 30–35 g each (golf-ball size), rolling firmly between the palms so the surface is smooth and the ball holds its shape without cracking at the seam — a crack means the mixture is too dry or insufficiently worked, and the ball will open in the sauce. Set aside on a tray. Do not pre-fry.
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4
For the sauce, fry the sambal berlado in a wide, deep pan until fragrant and the oil begins to separate from the paste, which tells you the raw heat of the chilli has cooked out and the flavour has deepened rather than sharpened. Add the tomatoes, crushed by hand directly into the pan retaining all their juices, and the chicken stock for the European version, or the coconut milk and tamarind water for the Malay version, then bring to a simmer over medium heat. The sauce should be loose enough to partially submerge the meatballs — adjust with a splash of stock or water if needed, so the balls poach in the sauce rather than sit above it.
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5
This is where the dish lives or dies: lower the raw meatballs directly into the simmering sauce rather than frying them first, because a sealed surface closes the meat off and the interior will not absorb the flavour of the sauce as it cooks through. The fat-to-lean ratio of the pork is equally decisive — 70/30 pork will remain moist and tender through the full sauce cooking, while lean pork will emerge dry, grainy, and flavourless. Simmer gently, uncovered, for 15–18 minutes, until the meatballs are firm to a gentle press with no raw give at the centre and the sauce has visibly clung to and coloured their surface.
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6
Taste the sauce and adjust for salt. Serve immediately — the meatballs should be plump and glistening, sitting in a sauce that has body from the crushed tomato texture or the coconut milk reduction, not a smooth, blended uniformity.