Pempek (Palembang Fish Cakes)

Pempek is Palembang’s pride, a chewy fish cake born from South Sumatra’s rivers and sold in every corner of the city. The dough is simply fish, tapioca starch, and seasoning, boiled and then fried until golden. Visitors plan whole trips to Palembang around it, and locals defend their favorite vendor like family honor. The dipping sauce, cuko, is half the experience. The cakes come in many shapes — rounds, logs, even little stuffed pillows — but the dough is always the same.

Chewy fish cakes in a dark, sweet-sour sauce

The contrast is everything: dense, bouncy, fishy-sweet cakes against cuko, a sharp, dark sauce of palm sugar, tamarind, and chili. Crisp on the outside, springy within, each piece begs for another dunk in that vinegar sauce. It is a snack so distinctive that one bite explains the pilgrimage. If you are new to pempek, start with the simplest shape and work your way up.

Craving more? Explore all Indonesian Kitchen recipes.

Indonesian recipes →