Siomay Bandung (Indonesian Style Shumai with Peanut Sauce)

Siomay Bandung, or Indonesian style shumai, is a well-loved traditional snack that most Indonesian people grow up with. Siomay is basically a steamed fish ball with tofu, egg, cabbage or other vegetables drizzled with peanut sauce, ketchup, sweet soy sauce, lime juice and chili sauce (optional). So, taste-wise, you have a delicious appetizer or snack that has a sweet, savory, sour, and spicy taste.

You can think of Siomay Bandung as a twist of the Chinese shumai dim sum item. However, unlike Chinese shumai, you do not need to use a wonton skin to wrap Siomay Bandung, it is made from fish instead of ground pork, and it is eaten usually with peanut sauce.  Plus, it is usually served with many other toppings such as tofu, cabbage, egg, bitter gourd or potato.

The other main key element to Siomay Bandung is the peanut sauce and other condiments. The siomay by itself is already pretty tasty without peanut sauce, however, the rest of the toppings are pretty bland. So, to fully enjoy Siomay Bandung, it needs to be topped off with the peanut sauce, ketchup, sweet sauce, lime juice and chili sauce, if you want a little kick.

Tools I used:

• Digital food steamer – I love my double-layered food steamer because it can steam quite a lot of variety at the same time. You can set the timer accordingly, so it’s less likely that you will not overcook your veggies, fish and so on.
• Food processor – This is a handy gadget that has saved me plenty of times. I use it to grind some meats or pulse some veggies.
• Blender – great items to have if you like to make smoothies or puree any kind of sauce before cooking.

Tip: If you cannot find Spanish Mackerel fish fillet in the market, you can always substitute with other kinds of “white fish” such as snapper, swordfish, pompano or mahi-mahi. However, they are usually less strong in flavor compared to Spanish Mackerel so, you should add ½ lb shrimp when making Siomay Bandung.

Ingredient:

Fish Paste

• 12 oz (about 350 gr) Spanish Mackerel fillet
• ½ lb ground chicken
• 2 cups (about 300 gr) tapioca flour
• 2 beaten eggs
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 medium-sized shallots – cut into smaller pieces
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Salt and pepper
• 50 ml water
• 2 stalks green onion – sliced

Other toppings:

• 1 package firm tofu
• 4 eggs
• Cabbage

Peanut sauce:

• 8.5 oz (about 250 gr) roasted peanut
• 3 tablespoons palm sugar (or brown sugar)
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 medium-sized shallot
• 2 cloves garlic
• ½ cup water
• 2 kaffir lime leaves
• 3 Thai chilies or serrano chilies (optional)

Condiments:

• 2 limes – cut into wedges
• Sweet soy sauce
• Ketchup
• Spicy chili sauce (optional)

Direction:

• Fish paste: Except for ground chicken and the sliced green onion, add all the ingredients into the food processor. Then, put them into a mixing bowl.Add the ground chicken and sliced green onion and give them a good mix.
• Siomay: Take a tablespoon of the fish paste mixture, then shape into an oval shape. You don’t need to worry about making a perfect shape.
• Tofu: Cut the tofu into small rectangular shape, then cut diagonally to get a triangular shape. Cut a slit on one side of the triangle. Scoop one spoonful of fish paste mixture into the pouch of the tofu.
• Egg: Boil the egg for about 10-14 minutes. You want the egg to be hard-boiled. Peel and cut into half.
• Cabbage: Boil some cabbage leaves for about 10-20 seconds. Then, get rid of the core (the tough stem in the middle of the leaf), and roll all of them.
• Except for egg, place all of the siomay, tofu, and cabbage into the steamer. Steam for about 20 minutes or so. Set aside and let it cool down.

Peanut sauce:

• Except the lime leaves, add all ingredients to the blender. Blend until everything is like smoothie texture.
• Then, pour it onto a saucepan and add the lime leaves. Stir and cook it under low heat.
• Cook it until the oil is separated from the peanut sauce or about 20 minutes.
• Adjust seasoning (add salt or sugar) if need to.

Assemble:

• Place the siomay, tofu, egg and cabbage into a plate and cut into bite-sized pieces.
• Pour some peanut sauce on top and drizzle some ketchup, sweet soy sauce and (optional) spicy chili sauce. Squeeze some lime juices and enjoy!