This Indonesian food from the city of Palembang is starting to become the center of attention both in remote areas and in the frontier areas of the archipelago. Of course, Indonesian food connoisseurs will be beneficial if you already know how to make it, because besides being able to taste this food you can invite your loved ones to make delicious food.
Tekwan is the second iconic food from the South Sumatra region after pempek. Tekwan is a kind of soup in which there is a pentol similar to meatballs made from mackerel fish meat and a mixture of sago. Not only that, other mixtures are vermicelli, chopped cucumber, mushrooms, jicama slices, fried onions which are then doused in the broth made from savory shrimp.
In other countries, it is the same as a fishcake, but in its presentation and shape, it tends to be chewier and more savory for some culinary lovers. This information the authors found from several reviews of food vloggers comparing the enjoyment of tekwan and fishcake. Which they prefer tekwan over fishcake in terms of enjoyment.
It is not surprising that tekwan is a favorite food for many people, especially for people in the South Sumatra region itself. Based on historical records, Tekwan is the result of the acculturation of Palembang and Chinese culture. At that time Chinese people had started to live in and live in Palembang, which then they introduced food made from fish.
Then it was adopted by the people of Palembang city to make the food according to the taste and tongue of the people of Palembang. They add a broth similar to the soup and add spices to the region. Tekwan itself is an acronym which comes from the word “dikotek samo kawan” which means chatting with friends. And then in Palembang it was shortened to “Tekwan”. This happened because of the habit of Palembang people who like to eat together with friends while talking.
That is a brief history of one of the legendary foods from the city of Palembang. Dear readers, let’s review how to make tekwan and the broth. What we should do is:
The ingredients for making tekwan used are 500 grams of ground fish (it is recommended to buy mackerel for perfect results), 500 grams of tapioca flour (choose the farmer’s sago brand for maximum results), 250cc cold water, 1 tsp salt, 3 clove garlic mashed, one eggs, One packet of other flavorings to taste
The ingredients for making tekwan broth are sufficient amount of red & white onion, pepper to taste, tongchai seasoning (can be found in the market), oyster mushrooms, green onions, bengkoang, refined ebi, salt and flavorings.
The steps for making tekwan
- Prepare a container to hold the dough to be mixed
- Enter the fish and spices that have been prepared for the dough such as garlic, eggs, salt, seasoning then stir all ingredients until blended.
- Then enter the ice water slowly while stirring all the ingredients.
- If you have added tapioca flour and stir with the ingredients that have been mixed first.
- Keep stirring until blended.
- If you have prepared water to boil the tekwan mixture, place it on the stove, wait for it to boil.
- After boiling the kneaded tekwan dough then pinch it into small pieces and boil it in boiling water
- Do this step until the tekwan mixture runs out and is ready for consumption. (Tips to find out what tekwan you make perfect or not look at it during the boiling process if it appears on the surface of the pan it means your tekwan is ready and cooked perfectly).
The steps for making tekwan sauce :
- Bring the water to a boil in a pan to your liking
- Blend all the ingredients that have been prepared
- Blend all ingredients, while waiting for the water to boil, saute all ingredients except the green onion and jicama slices and oyster mushrooms.
- After the stir-frying is complete and the water has boiled, then enter the ingredients that have been sauteed into the water.
- Add salt and flavorings, wait for the ingredients and water to combine and create the perfect taste.
- Put the dried shrimp that has been mashed.
- After the sauce is ready, then add the tekwan and raw materials such as jicama leeks and oyster mushrooms (which have been softened).
- After all the processes have been completed, now your homemade tekwan can be served and tasted.
Besides that, you can also share with the people around you and your loved ones. So much information and the steps to make a technician in this session, hopefully it will add to your insight about Indonesian culinary.
