25-Min Crispy Pempek with Cuko Sauce
Indonesian fish cakes (pempek) fried until golden and served with tangy-savory cuko sauce. A weeknight version using store-bought fish cake or ground fish, ready in under 30 minutes.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Servings
- 2
- Calories
- 285
- Protein
- 16g
Ingredients
- 8 oz ground fish or store-bought fish cake, sliced into 1-inch rounds
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 3 tbsp neutral cooking oil, for frying
- 3 tbsp white vinegar
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 clove garlic cloves, minced
- ½ whole red chili, sliced thin (or chili flakes to taste)
Instructions
- 1
Make the sauce: combine vinegar, sugar, minced garlic, and sliced chili in a small bowl. Stir until sugar dissolves, ~2 minutes. Set aside.
- 2
Pat the fish cake slices dry with a paper towel. Dust both sides lightly with flour, shaking off excess.
- 3
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high until it shimmers, ~90 seconds.
- 4
Working in batches, fry pempek 2-3 minutes per side until golden and crispy. Transfer to a paper towel.
- 5
Arrange warm pempek on a plate and pour cuko sauce into a small bowl alongside for dipping.
Tools you’ll need
- large skillet
- small bowl
- paper towels
- shallow plate or dish for flour
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