← Nouns Cooking · Indonesian & Filipino

Ingredients

• 500 g skinless chicken breast or chicken mince, chopped
• 3 Shallot, peeled
• 4 cloves Garlic
• 1 Eggs
• 1 tbsp Fish sauce
• 2 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 120 ml ice-cold water
• 400 g tapioca starch, plus extra for your hands
• 600 ml Water
• 200 g Palm sugar
• 30 g tamarind pulp
• 5 cloves Garlic
• 5 bird's eye chillies
• 2 tbsp Dried shrimp, soaked until soft (optional)
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tbsp White vinegar
• oil, for frying
• 1 Cucumber, diced
• 150 g cooked yellow egg noodles (optional)

Method

1. Blend the chicken, shallots, garlic, egg, fish sauce, salt, sugar and cold water in a food processor into a very smooth paste.
2. Scrape it into a large bowl and fold in the tapioca starch a handful at a time until you have a soft dough that no longer sticks to your floured hands. Fold rather than knead, as overworking makes it tough.
3. With starch-dusted hands, roll the dough into logs about 2.5 cm thick and 12 cm long.
4. Lower the logs into a large pot of boiling water and cook for 10 min, until they float and feel firm, then 2 min more (75°C / 165°F in the centre). Lift out onto an oiled tray to cool.
5. For the cuko, blend the garlic, chillies and dried shrimp (if using) with a little of the water. Simmer with the rest of the water, palm sugar, tamarind and salt for 15–20 min until slightly syrupy. Strain, stir in the vinegar and cool.
6. Slice the logs into thick diagonal pieces. Fry in 3 cm of oil at 170°C (340°F) for 4–5 min until golden and lightly blistered.
7. Serve with bowls of cuko for dipping or pouring, plus diced cucumber and noodles (if using).

Tips

• Mackerel or another firm white fish is the classic Palembang choice; the method is exactly the same.
• Boiled pempek freezes well; thaw and fry straight from the fridge. The noodles contain wheat, so leave them out for a gluten-free plate.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Daily Cooking Quest What To Cook Today