Recipes · Indonesian · Seafood
Pempek (Palembang Fish Cakes)
One serving has 720 kcal and 30 g protein, and at least a fifth of a woman's daily need of cobalamin (150%), selenium (103%), vitamin D (D2 + D3) (73%), pyridoxine (55%), phosphorus (49%) and niacin (28%). Ready in 45 minutes.

- Preparation: 25 min
- Cooking: 20 min
- Makes: 1 serving (307 g)
- Difficulty: Medium
- Diets: Pescatarian, Gluten-free, Dairy-free, High protein
- Contains: fish
Ingredients
- 150 g Spanish mackerel, raw
- 90 g Tapioca pearls, dry
- 2 g Salt
- 5 g Sugar
- 4 g Garlic, raw
- 20 g Tamarind pulp
- 30 g Sugar, brown
- 6 g Chili peppers, red, raw
Method
- Finely mince the mackerel flesh into a smooth paste and mix with the salt and sugar.
- Work in the tapioca starch (ground from the tapioca pearls, or use tapioca starch directly) a little at a time, kneading gently until a soft, pliable dough forms; avoid overworking it.
- Shape the dough into small torpedo or oval cakes and simmer them in barely bubbling water for 15-20 minutes until they float and firm up, then drain.
- For the cuko sauce, simmer the tamarind pulp, palm sugar, garlic and chili with 150 g water for 10 minutes until syrupy, then strain if a smoother sauce is preferred.
- Just before serving, shallow-fry the pempek cakes in a little oil until the surface is golden and slightly crisp.
- Slice and serve hot, doused generously with the sweet-sour-spicy cuko sauce.
Nutrition per serving
| Nutrient | Per serving | Share of a day's need |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 720 kcal | 34% |
| Carbohydrates | 129 g | |
| Water | 132 mL | |
| Fiber | 2 g | 7% |
| Protein | 30.1 g | 63% |
| Tryptophan | 0.33 g | |
| Threonine | 1.3 g | |
| Isoleucine | 1.4 g | |
| Leucine | 2.4 g | |
| Lysine | 2.7 g | |
| Methionine | 0.87 g | |
| Cystine | 0.32 g | |
| Phenylalanine | 1.1 g | |
| Tyrosine | 0.98 g | |
| Valine | 1.5 g | |
| Histidine | 0.86 g | |
| Fat | 9.6 g | |
| Monounsaturated | 2.3 g | |
| Polyunsaturated | 2.6 g | |
| Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) | 1.5 g | |
| Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA) | 0.49 g | |
| Omega-6 | 0.18 g | |
| Saturated | 2.8 g | |
| Trans-Fats | 0 g | |
| Cholesterol | 114 mg | |
| Calcium | 82.8 mg | 8% |
| Copper | 0.15 mg | 17% |
| Iron | 3 mg | 17% |
| Magnesium | 73.9 mg | 24% |
| Manganese | 0.22 mg | 12% |
| Phosphorus | 346 mg | 49% |
| Potassium | 880 mg | 19% |
| Selenium | 56.7 µg | 103% |
| Sodium | 880 mg | |
| Zinc | 0.94 mg | 12% |
| Thiamin (vitamin B1) | 0.3 mg | 27% |
| Riboflavin (vitamin B2) | 0.3 mg | 27% |
| Niacin (vitamin B3) | 4 mg | 28% |
| Pantothenic acid (vitamin B5) | 1.4 mg | 27% |
| Pyridoxine (vitamin B6) | 0.71 mg | 55% |
| Folate (vitamin B9) | 9.7 µg | 2% |
| Cobalamin (vitamin B12) | 3.6 µg | 150% |
| Choline | 80.8 mg | 19% |
| Vitamin A | 61.8 µg | 9% |
| Vitamin C | 13 mg | 17% |
| Vitamin D (D2 + D3) | 438 IU | 73% |
| Vitamin E | 1.1 mg | 7% |
| Vitamin K | 1.6 µg | 2% |
Shares of a day's need are for a woman of 30, 165 cm, 60 kg, lightly active, by the US and Canadian Dietary Reference Intakes. SustainBite works out each person's own needs, by the standard where they live: the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations in Norway, the UK's, EFSA's in the EU.
Climate footprint
0.5 kg CO2e a serving: lower than most main dishes on SustainBite. Source: ADEME, Agribalyse 3.2.
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