Pempek

Step 1: Put 7 oz palm sugar, 1 ¾ cups water and 1 tbsp tamarind paste in a small pan and simmer over a medium heat for 10 minutes until the sugar has dissolved and the sauce is dark.

Step 2: Pound 6 cloves garlic and 8 bird's eye chillies to a rough paste, stir it into the pan with 1 tsp salt, 1 tbsp white vinegar and 1 tbsp dried shrimp and simmer for 5 minutes more. Leave to cool; it will be thin, like a dressing.

Step 3: On a board kept for raw fish, cut 1 ⅛ lb skinless white fish fillets into chunks and blend with ¾ cup iced water, 2 tsp salt and 1 tsp sugar for 1–2 minutes until smooth, pale and sticky.

Step 4: Scrape it into a large bowl and add 12 ½ oz tapioca starch a third at a time, folding with a spatula and then your hand just until no dry starch shows. Don't knead it like bread; overworked dough cooks up hard and rubbery.

Step 5: Dust your hands with tapioca and roll the dough into 6 logs about 3 cm thick. It should feel soft and slightly tacky, like play dough.

Step 6: Bring a large pot of water to a gentle simmer. Lower in the logs and cook for 10–12 minutes, until they float and feel firm, then give them 2 minutes more so the fish is fully cooked. Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain on a rack.

Step 7: Cool the logs for 10 minutes, then slice them on the diagonal about 1.5 cm thick.

Step 8: Heat 2 cups vegetable oil in a wok or deep pan to 350°F. Fry the slices in batches for 3–4 minutes, until golden and blistered, and drain on kitchen paper. Hot oil can spit, so lower them in gently.

Step 9: Pile the pempek in shallow bowls with 5 ½ oz cooked yellow noodles if using, scatter with 1 cucumber and pour over plenty of cuko.