Pempek with Sweet-Spicy Dipping Sauce
Chewy Indonesian fish and tapioca cakes fried until golden and served with tangy, spicy garlic sauce. A Southeast Asian street-food favorite that's surprisingly achievable at home.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Servings
- 2
- Calories
- 520
- Protein
- 24g
Ingredients
- ½ lb white fish fillets (cod, pollock, or catfish), skinless
- ¾ cup tapioca starch
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 cups neutral oil for frying
- 4 whole garlic cloves
- 1 whole red chili (or 1 tsp chili flakes), seeds removed for less heat
- 2 tbsp palm sugar or brown sugar
- 3 tbsp rice vinegar or distilled white vinegar
Instructions
- 1
Place the 4 garlic cloves and red chili in a mortar and pound them together with a pestle until completely broken down into a coarse paste, about 2 minutes.
- 2
Add the 2 tablespoons brown sugar to the mortar and crush everything together until the sugar dissolves slightly and the mixture looks like wet crumbs, about 1 minute.
- 3
Pour the 3 tablespoons vinegar and 1/4 cup water into a small bowl, then add the garlic-chili paste and stir until uniform and the sugar is fully dissolved.
- 4
Set the sauce bowl aside at room temperature to let the flavors blend while you prepare the pempek.
- 5
Pat the 0.5 lb fish fillets completely dry with paper towels by pressing gently all over both sides until no moisture beads remain.
- 6
Cut the dried fish into 1-inch chunks by slicing lengthwise along the grain, then cutting crosswise into cubes.
- 7
Place the fish chunks into a food processor and pulse 15–20 times until the fish is completely shredded into thin threads that stick together slightly, about the texture of pulled chicken.
- 8
Transfer the shredded fish to a medium bowl, sprinkle the 0.75 cup tapioca starch and 0.5 tsp salt on top, and stir with a wooden spoon until everything is evenly mixed and the starch is absorbed.
- 9
Knead the mixture in the bowl by pressing and folding it with your hand for 2 minutes until it becomes sticky and paste-like, holding together when squeezed.
- 10
Pour the 3 cups neutral oil into a heavy-bottomed pot or deep skillet and set it over medium-high heat.
- 11
Wait 5 minutes for the oil to heat, then insert a thermometer — the oil is ready when it reaches 325°F, or when a small piece of dough sizzles immediately and floats in 20 seconds.
- 12
Wet your hands and scoop about 2 tablespoons of fish mixture into your palm, squeeze it gently into an oval ball slightly larger than a marble, and carefully slide it into the hot oil.
- 13
Repeat step 12 until you have 8–10 balls in the oil, spacing them so they do not touch; do not overcrowd the pan.
- 14
Fry without moving the balls for 3 minutes until the bottoms turn light golden brown, visible when you gently lift one with a slotted spoon.
- 15
Turn each ball over using a slotted spoon and fry for 2–3 minutes more until all sides are deep golden brown and the surface looks shiny and crispy.
- 16
Use the slotted spoon to lift each pempek from the oil and place it on a paper-towel-lined plate to drain, about 1 minute per batch.
- 17
Repeat steps 12–16 with the remaining fish mixture until all pempek are fried.
- 18
Arrange the warm pempek on a serving plate or two individual plates, grouping them in the center.
- 19
Pour the sauce into a small bowl and place it on the side of the plate, or drizzle about 2 tablespoons sauce over the pempek.
Tools you’ll need
- mortar and pestle
- small bowl
- paper towels
- cutting board
- chef's knife
- food processor
- medium mixing bowl
- wooden spoon
- heavy-bottomed pot or deep skillet (3-quart minimum)
- instant-read thermometer
- slotted spoon
- plate lined with paper towels
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