Cilok: The Sundanese Tapioca Ball

Ingredients

• 250 g tapioca starch
• 150 ml water, boiling
• 1 tsp salt
• For the peanut sauce
• 150 g roasted peanuts, ground to a coarse paste
• 2 tbsp sweet soy sauce (kecap manis)
• 1 red chilli, finely sliced, or sambal to taste
• 100 ml water, warm, to loosen

Method

1. 1
   Combine the tapioca starch and salt in a bowl. Pour the boiling water over the starch in a thin stream, mixing continuously with a spoon or chopstick until a cohesive, pliable dough forms. The dough is ready when it pulls cleanly from the sides of the bowl and no dry powder remains.
2. 2
   Pinch off portions of dough and roll between the palms into balls of approximately 2–3 cm diameter. The surface should be smooth and free of cracks; a cracked ball will split in the pot.
3. 3
   Bring a large pot of salted water to a full rolling boil. Lower the balls in batches. This is where the dish lives or dies: the water must maintain a vigorous boil throughout cooking, not a simmer, so the starch sets rapidly and the balls hold their shape rather than dissolving into the pot. Cook until every ball has risen to the surface and floated there for a further two minutes.
4. 4
   Remove the balls with a slotted spoon and drain. They are done when they are translucent at the surface, firm to a gentle press, and yield a pronounced chew without stickiness at the centre.
5. 5
   Thread the cooked balls onto bamboo skewers, three or four to a skewer. Prepare the peanut sauce by combining the ground peanut paste, kecap manis, chilli and warm water, stirring until smooth and pourable. The sauce should coat a spoon in a thin, even layer. Serve the skewers with the sauce spooned over or offered alongside, with sambal if desired.