Obama loved meatball soup as a child

Washington: President Barack Obama carried a message of unity and tolerance during his visit last week to Indonesia, but it was his love of meatball soup that got the local headlines.

"Bakso, nasi goreng ... semuanya enak!" or "Meatball soup, fried rice ... it's all delicious!" Obama said during a state dinner in Jakarta. The president spent four years of his childhood in Indonesia.

Bakso, a savory soup of meatballs and noodles often garnished with bok choy, wontons, tofu, crisp fried shallots and hard-boiled egg, is Indonesia's national street food, a go-to dish sold from pushcarts to students, midnight revellers and just about anybody who wants a satisfying snack.

"When people hang out at night and they feel hungry, they go for bakso," says Djoko Supatmono, a New York executive chef.