Kemplang — East Java, Indonesia

Kemplang is a flat, round cracker made from fish flesh pounded together with tapioca starch, then dried and cooked until it turns light, crisp, and slightly puffed. In shape and pale color it resembles the senbei rice cracker, though its flavor comes from the fish rather than rice, and grilling can leave dark scorch marks across the surface. It is found in East Java as one of the many places across the Indonesian archipelago where this style of fish cracker is made and sold, alongside its wider presence on Sumatra and other islands. It is eaten as a snack on its own or alongside a meal, often bought from small home producers or market stalls rather than made fresh at home. To prepare it, the fish — commonly mackerel or a similar firm white fish — is deboned and pounded into a paste, then mixed with tapioca starch, a little salt, and sometimes garlic or sugar until a workable dough forms. The dough is shaped into thin, flat discs and left to dry in the sun until firm. The dried discs are then either grilled over charcoal, which gives them dark patches and a smoky edge, or fried in hot oil, which puffs them up lighter and more evenly. Cooks vary the fish used, the thickness of the discs, and above all the cooking method, since grilling and frying give noticeably different textures. Kemplang is almost always served with a sour, spicy chili sambal for dipping, and the balance of that sambal is often what a household or vendor is known for rather than the cracker recipe itself.