Pempek Palembang (Savory Fish Cakes)

Pempek

Ingredients

Fish Cake: 500g mackerel/tenggiri fish fillet (skinless) 300g tapioca flour 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp white pepper 1 egg 200ml ice-cold water oil for frying. Sauce: 200ml white vinegar 200ml water 150g palm sugar 5 red chilies 3 garlic cloves 1 tsp salt. Accompaniments: 2 cups shredded cucumber 200g yellow noodles (cooked) lime wedges.

Detail Steps and Procedure

1. Prepare Fish: Grind fish fillet in food processor until smooth paste forms (5 minutes). Add egg, salt, pepper, process 1 minute more.

2. Make Dough: Transfer fish paste to mixing bowl. Gradually add tapioca flour, alternating with ice water, mixing with spatula until dough forms and pulls away from bowl. Knead 5 minutes until elastic.

3. Shape: Divide dough into 4 portions. On floured surface, roll each portion into 1-inch thick cylinder (lenjer) or form into balls (kapal selam).

4. Cook: Bring large pot of water to boil. Gently drop shaped pempek into boiling water. Cook 10-15 minutes until they float. Remove with slotted spoon, drain, let cool slightly.

5. Fry: Heat oil to 350°F (175°C). Fry boiled pempek until golden brown and crispy (3-4 minutes). Drain on rack.

6. Make Sauce: Blend chilies and garlic. In saucepan, combine vinegar, water, palm sugar, chili-garlic paste, salt. Simmer 10 minutes until slightly thickened and sugar dissolves.

7. Serve: Arrange fried pempek on plate with yellow noodles and shredded cucumber. Drizzle generously with sauce. Serve with lime wedges on the side.

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