P
Indonesian
Siomay: Indonesian Steamed Dumplings with Peanut Sauce
Siomay (from the Cantonese *siu mai*) — the Chinese dumpling adapted to the Indonesian palate. Indonesian siomay uses a fish-based filling (tenggiri/mackerel — same as pempek) rather than the pork-and-shrimp filling of the Chinese original, reflecting the Muslim-majority market. The siomay is steamed and served with steamed potato, boiled egg, bitter melon, and cabbage — all DRENCHED in bumbu kacang (peanut sauce) thinned with lime juice, kecap manis, and chilli sauce.
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I
The Market List
The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.
For the dumpling filling
400 g
tenggiri (Spanish mackerel)
minced or finely ground
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
12–16
siu mai wrappers (round wonton skins)
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
For the accompaniments
2 medium
4
eggs
boiled, peeled, halved
Your own market
1 small
bitter melon (pare)
sliced into rounds, seeds removed
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
¼ head
cabbage
cut into wedges
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
For the bumbu kacang (peanut sauce)
200 g
roasted peanuts
skins removed
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
2
red chillies
or to heat preference
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
2 cloves
garlic
Your own market
200 ml
water
hot, to thin the sauce
Your own market
2 tbsp
kecap manis
plus extra to serve
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
2
limes
juiced
Your own market
2 tbsp
chilli sauce (sambal)
to serve
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Each tap is counted, so the stockist sees the demand Provenance sends them.
II
The Method
1
Prepare the bumbu kacang. Grind the roasted peanuts, garlic, and red chillies to a coarse paste using a stone mortar or blender. Thin with hot water to a pourable but coating consistency. Stir in the kecap manis and half the lime juice. The sauce should coat the back of a spoon and carry a balance of sweet, salty, and sour.
From the canon — Kecap manis — thick, sweet, molasses-like soy sauce — is arguably the single most important seasoning in Indonesian cooking. Kecap Manis: The Sweet Soy That Defines a Cuisine →
2
Steam the potato halves until a skewer meets no resistance at the centre. Set aside in a warm place.
3
Steam the bitter melon rounds and cabbage wedges until just tender but not collapsed — the melon retains a faint resistance and the cabbage holds its shape.
4
Shape the siomay. Place a mound of minced mackerel at the centre of each wrapper. Gather the sides upward, pressing the filling firm, leaving the top open and the filling exposed — the classic siu mai form. Repeat until all filling is used.
5
Arrange the dumplings in a bamboo or metal steamer. Steam over vigorously boiling water until the fish filling is fully set and opaque throughout and the wrappers are translucent and glossy.
6
Arrange the steamed dumplings, potato, halved boiled eggs, bitter melon, and cabbage on a plate or tray. Drench everything generously with the peanut sauce. Finish with the remaining lime juice, extra kecap manis, and chilli sauce at the table.
III
Quality Hierarchy
01
Reserve — Freshly caught and hand-minced tenggiri from a coastal market; peanuts roasted to order; hand-ground bumbu in a stone cobek; lime squeezed to the second.
02
Estate — Good-quality fresh mackerel fillets minced at home; peanuts roasted in a dry pan and blended while still warm; kecap manis from a reputable Indonesian producer.
03
Market — Frozen tenggiri or substitute firm white fish; pre-roasted peanuts from a sealed bag; commercial sambal as the chilli element.
04
House — Any firm-fleshed fish mince; jarred peanut butter thinned with hot water; bottled kecap manis and lime juice from a bottle — the form holds, the spirit recedes.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Sight. Dumpling wrappers turn translucent and glossy; the mackerel filling is uniformly opaque with no grey-pink raw patches visible at the exposed top.
◇Touch. Potato yields cleanly to a skewer with no hard core; bitter melon bends without snapping; dumpling filling feels firm, not soft, when pressed lightly.
◇Smell. The peanut sauce carries a toasted, nutty aroma underpinned by the sweetness of kecap manis and a clean citrus note from the lime.
◇Taste. The finished sauce balances sweet, salty, sour, and heat in a single mouthful with no single element dominating.
◇Where it lives or dies. The bumbu kacang must be made with depth — peanuts, garlic, chilli, kecap manis, and lime juice brought to a sauce that is rich, sweet, sharp, and hot in one mouthful; without this, the dish has no identity.
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VI
What to Pour
The pairing
Fortified wine
From British Columbia
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Without alcohol
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The whole pairingPillar VII
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Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
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