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cuko sauce pempek

Cuko Sauce (Spicy Palm Sugar Tamarind Sauce for Pempek)

This classic Indonesian dipping sauce, called Cuko, is sweet, tangy, and spicy—made from palm sugar (gula aren), tamarind (asam jawa), garlic, chilies, and dried shrimp (ebi). Traditionally served with Pempek, this sauce is slightly thick and intensely flavorful. For best results, let it rest overnight to deepen the taste.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Chilling Time (Optional) 1 day
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 10 Servings
Course: Condiment, Sauce
Cuisine: Indonesian, Palembang
Calories: 45
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 250 grams gula aren Indonesian palm sugar; can substitute with Thai palm sugar or dark brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons asam jawa tamarind pulp
  • 5 cloves garlic
  • 2 tablespoons ebi dried shrimp, soaked in hot water and rinsed before use
  • 10 bird’s eye chilies or to taste
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1 liter water

Instruction
 

  1. In a saucepan, combine palm sugar, tamarind pulp, and water. Bring to a boil and simmer until sugar dissolves. Strain to remove tamarind fibers.
  2. Blend garlic, soaked ebi, and chilies into a coarse paste. Add this paste into the strained tamarind-sugar mixture.
  3. Stir in salt and simmer again until the sauce slightly thickens but is still pourable.
  4. Let it cool completely. For best flavor, let the sauce rest overnight in the fridge.

Notes

  • You can find gula aren in Asian or international stores. If unavailable, use dark brown sugar or Thai palm sugar as a substitute.
  • Ebi (dried shrimp) should be soaked in hot water, rinsed, and drained before blending. For deeper flavor, you can also turn it into ebi powder by dry-roasting and grinding.
  • The sauce should be slightly thick, not syrupy. It’s meant to cling lightly to pempek, not smother it.
  • This sauce pairs best with Pempek Kapal Selam or other Indonesian fish cakes, and is traditionally served with diced cucumber.