Indonesia – Celimpungan

by Fauzan Anandika

The food industry becomes a place of many kinds of professions. There is a chef, restaurant owner, chemist, traveler, and also a photographer. The food industry is not limited to food processed only, but also become part of tourism, tools for presenting national heritage. From food, we can learn about culture, history, social activity, and tribe character. Many companies try to automate food processing to produce faster and cheaper. They do this not only to make modern food like sausage, nugget, or patty but also to produce traditional food. Those companies start with making traditional spice, so their customer can cook anywhere without having difficulty to find the ingredient. Even there is an instant spice, eating authentic food from other countries still attract tourist to come to the origin countries.

For food traveler always searches the authentic taste, event, ceremonial, and story behind the food they eat. Many kinds of food are cooked only in a special event. One of them is Celimpungan from Palembang city, Indonesia. A dish that only cooks when people of Palembang celebrating Eid Al-Fitr. Celimpungan is a yellow soup filled with fish cake and some vegetables.

Local history said that the yellow color soup reflects happiness, hilarity, and rousing. Climpungan is food that symbolizes passion in our activity. Celimpungan word comes from plunge sound from adding ingredients into the boiling pot. Celimpungan has a savory taste than come from various spice like turmeric, galangal, and lemongrass. As an all-day dish, tourists can found Celimpungan in food stalls around Palembang city mainly during the fasting period on Ramadhan month.

Celimpungan uses sago dough mix with blended fish to make ball shape fish cake. Using coconut milk for the soup and eat with a side of fried chili sauce. Don’t worry about its spiciness. Without adding chili it won’t taste spicy at all. Before you become more curious, let try to make some Celimpungan.

Celimpungan Ingredient

• 500-gram snakehead fish fillet
• 1 egg
• 20-gram salt
• 1 tablespoon mushroom curry powder
• 250 ml of water
• 250-gram sago flour

Soup Ingredient

• 3-liter water
• 750 thick coconut milk
• 2 tablespoon cooking oil
• Salt
• Sugar

Blended Spice ingredient

• 15 clove shallot
• 5 clove garlic
• 30-gram turmeric powder
• 1 lemongrass
• 1 tablespoon coriander
• 3 candlenut

Other ingredients

• Cayenne Pepper
• Fried shallot

How to make Celimpungan

1. Blend all Celimpungan ingredients with a food processor except sago flour.
2. Add sago and blend until finely mixed.
3. Pick the dough around 10 cm make a round shape, and put on in the boiling water.
4. Pick after the dough floating.
5. Well drain.

How to make the soup

1. Boil coconut milk with water.
2. Fry with little cooking oil all the blended spice.
3. Stir until smooth and flavorful.
4. Add salt and sugar, check the soup taste.
5. Stir slowly until the soup boiling.
6. Add the cooked Celimpungan to the soup, lower down the heat.
7. Wait for 5 minutes.
8. Celimpungan ready to serve with fried shallot and chopped cayenne pepper.