How to make rempeyek, the Indonesian crackers that are a savoury sensation
- The delicately crisp treats are stuffed with peanuts and intense ikan bilis
- After failing to find satisfying shop-bought rempeyek, food editor Susan Jung decided to make her own
I still remember my first taste of rempeyek. The fried Indonesian crackers topped with ikan bilis and peanuts had been made by a friend of a friend and were not available in stores. The ones I bought commercially were never as good, so I decided to make my own.
Rempeyek with peanuts and ikan bilis
This dish took a long time to develop because I couldn’t get the flavour or texture right. The problem was the recipes I saw online were all so varied – they all used rice flour in the batter, but some also added tapioca flour and/or cornstarch; some mixed in coconut milk; some were simply flavoured while others included garlic, shallots and/or kaffir lime leaf. Even when recipes didn’t call for curry leaves, I added them, because those first ones I tried had included them.
When I finally got the flavour right, the texture was off – hard and brittle rather than delicately crisp. I tried adding baking powder, which didn’t work, and, finally, I added more water – which did.
You’ll need to visit a shop selling Southeast Asian products for some of the ingredients. If you can’t find candlenuts, substitute macadamia nuts. Ikan bilis are small, salted dried fish with an intense flavour. Kaffir lime leaves are double leaves – you need three pairs for this recipe. If you can’t find fresh curry leaves, leave them out – although they add a wonderful fragrance.
The best way to grind the ingredients for the flavouring paste is using a high-speed blender (such as a Nutribullet). A mortar and pestle works, too, but not as efficiently.
You may be tempted to fry the rempeyek in a small pan, to use less oil. Trust me on this: don’t. Use a large wok and don’t be too sparing with the oil, or you’ll be frying only two or three remepeyek in each batch, which will take a long time.
For the flavouring paste:
2 medium-sized garlic cloves, peeled
3 medium-sized pairs of kaffir lime leaves
2 candlenuts
½ tsp coriander seeds
½ tsp fennel seeds
15 grams ikan bilis
¼ tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp fine sea salt
1/8 tsp finely ground white pepper
200ml water, divided