Pempek is a typical Indonesian culinary origin from Palembang, South Sumatra Province. Pempek is a food made from the basic ingredients of fish and flour. This type of food can be eaten as a snack, a side dish during an event, or a filling meal.
The soft pempek mixed with the sweet and slightly spicy sauce will create a taste that anyone will always miss. If you only know the pempek lenjer and submarine variants, besides that, there are still many. What other pempek variants are there? Let’s find out!
1. Pempek Adaan
The first pempek variant is adaan. Pempek usually has a lot of fans. This pempek is round like a fish ball. The difference is, the texture of pempek is not as soft as fish balls. The texture is a little rough and chewy, but the taste is still good. This type of pempek is also bigger in size than other pempek. Just try it if you’ve never tried.
2. Pempek Pistel
The next pempek variant is pempek pistel. The basic ingredients for pempek pistel are the same as for the lenjer dough. Shaped like a pastel complete with a lid on the top. So don’t be surprised if this pempek is also known as pempek pistel.
There are also 2 types of pempek, you know, those that have content and are not. Pempek filled with pistel, usually filled with eggs. In Palembang, this type of pempek is also known as pempek kates, because it contains grated young papaya.
3. Pempek Curly or Pempek Kerupuk
The next pempek variant is curly pempek. This pempek is indeed different in shape than the others, which is curly shaped like the white crackers we usually eat. This type of pempek is made with a special tool known as the pempek, or it could be by using a meat grinder.
4. Pempek Kulit
The next pempek variant is pempek kulit. This type of pempek is made from the main ingredient of fish skin. It can be said that this skin dough is only devoted to making pempek kulit only.
Similar to the existence, this pempek does not go through the boiling process first. The finished skin dough is formed into a round and flat shape, then immediately put into a frying pan with hot oil.
5. Pempek Tahu
The next pempek variant is pempek tofu. The dough for this type of pempek is made from pempek dough. The tofu used is usually soft tofu like silk tofu. Delicious pempek and tofu in one bite, you must try.
6. Baked Pempek
The next pempek variant is grilled pempek. As the name implies, this pempek is not boiled or fried, but grilled. The dough used is the same as the pempek lenjer dough. The dough is formed into a flat round shape, then grilled over charcoal like a barbeque for 15-20 minutes.
7. Pempek Lenggang
The next pempek variant is pempek lenggang. The process of making pempek lenggang is also baked. But there are also those who serve it fried. When fried, the manufacturing process is the same as making an omelette. When it’s cooked, Moms can enjoy it with vinegar sauce.
So, now you know that there are many variants of pempek. Have you tried all of them? Or maybe you are interested in trying? Come on, travel to Palembang if you have the opportunity to visit or have a vacation.