Cuisine: South Sumatra

• Main Dish

1. Pempek

This dish is one of Palembang’s most famous dishes. It is made from fish (usually belido fish) and tapioca, which is then served with noodle and cucumber and coated with sweet and sour sauce called cuka or cuko (Indonesian for vinegar). There are many kinds of pempek such as pempek kapal selam, pempek lenjer, pempek take and pempek kerupuk. A trip to Palembang won’t be complete without this, so make sure you try some.

Pempek

    2. Pempek Kapal Selam

Pempek kapal selam is the most famous of all pempek. Egg is wrapped with mixture of fish and tapioca and then deep-fried. Once done, it is then sprinkled with shrimp powder and is eaten along with noodle and cucumber with cuko sauce. The name kapal selam is Indonesian for submarine and derives from its big ship-like shape. Make sure you don’t miss this dish.

Pempek kapal selam

    3. Mie Celor

A noodle dish from Palembang, it is made from noodle and beansprout added with hot water and a special sauce made from shrimp consommé. On top slices of boiled egg and celery is added, with sprinkles of fried onion as garnish.

Mie Celor

• Pastry

1. Bolu Kojo

Bolu kojo is one of Palembang’s icons. Made from the extract of pandan leaf mixed with condensed milk, flour and butter, it is then baked and sprinkled with sesame. Although it is usually served during traditional ceremonies, you can get it from street vendors or shops throughout the city to accompany your afternoon tea.

Bolu Kojo