Siomay (Indonesian Steamed Fish Dumplings with Peanut Sauce)

About This Recipe

Siomay reflects the Chinese-Indonesian culinary tradition, its dumpling format closely related to Chinese siu mai but adapted with ground fish, tapioca starch and local seasonings for a distinctly Indonesian result. The filling combines ground white fish with tapioca starch and egg, giving the dumplings a slightly bouncy, springy texture once steamed, wrapped in thin wonton skins or simply shaped by hand. Served alongside steamed cabbage, potato and hard-boiled egg, all generously coated in the same rich peanut sauce used for gado-gado, siomay is a substantial and satisfying street food platter found throughout Indonesia.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 400 gwhite fish fillet(ground or finely minced)
• 1/2 cuptapioca starch
• 1egg
• 3scallions(finely chopped)
• 1 tspsalt
• 1/2 tspwhite pepper
• 24wonton wrappers
• 1cabbage(cut into wedges, for serving)
• 2potatoes(boiled and sliced, for serving)
• 2hard-boiled eggs(halved, for serving)
• 1 cuproasted peanuts(for sauce)
• 2 clovesgarlic(for sauce)
• 2red chiles(for sauce)
• 2 tbspkecap manis(for sauce)
• 1 cupwater(for sauce)

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the filling

   Combine ground fish, tapioca starch, egg, scallions, salt and white pepper into a smooth, cohesive paste.

2. 2

   Fill the wrappers

   Place a spoonful of filling in the center of each wonton wrapper, gathering the edges up around it without fully sealing, leaving the top slightly open.

3. 3

   Steam the vegetables

   Steam the cabbage wedges for 8-10 minutes until tender; set aside.

4. 4

   Steam the dumplings

   Steam the filled dumplings for 12-15 minutes until firm and cooked through.

   Don't overfill the dumplings — the filling expands slightly as it steams, and an overstuffed dumpling can split open.

5. 5

   Make the peanut sauce

   Blend peanuts, garlic and chiles into a coarse paste, then simmer with kecap manis and water for 8 minutes until thickened.

6. 6

   Serve

   Arrange the steamed dumplings, cabbage, boiled potato and hard-boiled egg on a plate, and pour the peanut sauce generously over everything.

Variations

• •

  A version using shrimp instead of or alongside fish gives extra sweetness.

• •

  Some vendors add finely diced water chestnut to the filling for crunch.

• •

  Serving with a squeeze of lime and a drizzle of sweet soy alongside the peanut sauce is a common addition.

Storage

Refrigerate steamed dumplings up to 3 days; reheat by re-steaming for a few minutes rather than microwaving, which can toughen the fish.

Frequently Asked Questions