Palembang
South Sumatra's fish-paste kitchen — springy pempek in a dark sour-sweet cuko, tamarind-bright pindang fish soups, and the coconut-rich noodles of mie celor.
Pempek
Chewy fried fish-and-sago cakes served with a dark, fiery sweet-sour cuko — Palembang's defining dish.
View page →Palembang cooks along the Musi River, and its kitchen turns freshwater fish into a whole family of springy cakes. Pempek is the emblem — fish and sago pounded smooth, then boiled or fried and dipped in cuko, a dark, palate-stripping sauce of palm sugar, tamarind, garlic and chili. Its cousins ring the same idea: tekwan in a clear shrimp broth, model stuffed with tofu, laksan and celimpungan in coconut gravy. Away from the fishcakes the city sours its soups — pindang patin and pindang tulang, tart with tamarind and chili — and slicks thick egg noodles with a coconut-shrimp gravy in mie celor.
Start Here
Chewy fried fish-and-sago cakes with a dark sour-sweet cuko.
Why start here · The defining Palembang cake.
Fish balls in a clear shrimp broth with jicama and glass noodles.
Why start here · The pempek family in soup form.
Thick egg noodles in a rich coconut-and-shrimp broth.
Why start here · Palembang's coconut breakfast bowl.
The Pantry
See all 37 ingredients›
Grains & Staples
Dairy & Fats
Sauces & Condiments
How They Cook
Techniques that define this cuisine
See 5 more techniques›
Kindred Kitchens
Cuisines built on the same signature ingredients
Other regions
Siblings within Indonesian — each its own tradition.