Pempek

Pempek with Cuko Sauce

The signature fishcake snack from Palembang, South Sumatra, featuring a delightfully chewy interior and a tangy-sweet-spicy dipping sauce. The contrast between the bouncy fried cakes and the dark, complex cuko is what makes pempek irresistible.

Prep

40 min

Cook

30 min

Total

70 min

Serves

4-6

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •500 g (1.1 lb) fresh mackerel fillets, Spanish or king mackerel is traditional; any lean white fish works
• •300 g (1½ cups) tapioca starch (flour), must be tapioca, not corn or potato starch; this is what gives pempek its signature chew
• •200 g (¾ cup + 2 tbsp) ice-cold water, cold water keeps the dough from getting gummy
• •2 whole eggs, for kapal selam (submarine) variety
• •2 g (½ tsp) fine salt
• •500 ml (2 cups) neutral oil, for deep-frying, or enough to half-submerge the pempek
• •200 g (¾ cup (packed)) palm sugar (gula merah), Indonesian palm sugar is preferred; dark brown sugar is the closest substitute
• •60 g (¼ cup) tamarind paste, seedless, soaked in 60 ml / ¼ cup warm water and strained
• •60 ml (¼ cup) rice vinegar or white vinegar, Indonesian cuka is similar to Chinese rice vinegar
• •500 ml (2 cups) water, for the sauce base
• •6 cloves garlic, crushed
• •2 tbsp ground dried chilli or chilli powder, adjust to taste; fresh red chillies also work
• •1 tsp salt, for the sauce
• •2 shallots shallots, thinly sliced, optional garnish for cuko
• •100 g (3½ oz) cucumber, diced, traditional accompaniment
• •50 g (1¾ oz) yellow noodles (bihun/mie kuning), cooked, optional, served in the sauce like a soup

Steps

1. 1 Make the cuko first: combine 500 ml water, palm sugar, tamarind water, vinegar, garlic, chilli, and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then simmer 15-20 minutes until the liquid reduces by about one-third and tastes balanced sweet-sour-spicy. Strain and set aside.
2. 2 Prepare the fish: cut mackerel into chunks. Process in a food processor until it becomes a smooth, sticky paste. This step is critical; lumpy fish will result in a lumpy dough. If the paste looks dry, add a tablespoon of cold water.
3. 3 In a large bowl, mix the fish paste with 1 tsp salt. Add about one-third of the tapioca starch and mix by hand, then gradually add the ice water while kneading. Slowly incorporate the remaining tapioca starch.
4. 4 Knead the dough until smooth, springy, and non-sticky. Do not over-knead. The dough should hold together when pressed. Cover with a damp cloth.
5. 5 Form kapal selam (submarine pempek): take a handful of dough (about 80 g), shape into a smooth ball, then form into a small bowl. Crack an egg into the center and carefully close the dough around it, sealing completely so no egg leaks out.
6. 6 Bring a large pot of water to a gentle boil. Lower the pempek in carefully; they will sink first. Boil for 8-12 minutes until they float and feel firm. Do not overcrowd the pot.
7. 7 Remove boiled pempek with a slotted spoon and let cool. They can be eaten boiled (without frying) or stored for frying later. Cooked pempek keeps in the fridge for 2-3 days.
8. 8 To serve: heat oil to 170°C / 340°F in a deep pan. Pat the boiled pempek dry and fry in batches for 3-5 minutes until deep golden and crisp. Maintain oil temperature so the outside crisps before the inside overcooks.
9. 9 Cook the raw egg inside kapal selam fully during frying: the dough is thick, so fry on low-medium heat for 6-8 minutes total, turning often, until the egg is set and the outside is golden. The internal egg should reach 70°C / 160°F to be safely cooked.
10. 10 To serve Palembang-style: place diced cucumber and cooked noodles in a bowl, ladle warm cuko sauce over them, then place 1-2 fried pempek on top. Cut the kapal selam open at the table to reveal the cooked egg inside. Serve extra cuko for dipping.