Cilok is a popular bite-size snack or street food in Indonesia and it is incredibly easy to make. Boiled tapioca dough is served with delicious savory peanut sauce.
I bought pre-roasted unsalted peanuts. If you have raw peanuts, I suggest dry fry them on a pan. It really adds a great flavor to the sauce. Put the peanuts, garlic, and chili in a food processor and process into a fine texture
Transfer to a skillet or saucepan. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a simmer and cook until the sauce thickens slightly. Have a taste and add more salt and/or sugar to your taste. The sauce is slightly spicy, savory, and sweet
The sauce can be kept in the fridge for up to one week
Prepare the tapioca dough:
Place all the ingredients, except for hot water in a large mixing bowl. Stir to mix. Pour in the hot boiling water gradually, about 1/3 at a time. Use a spatula to stir to mix at first and then when it's not so hot anymore, use your hands to knead into a smooth dough. You can stop adding water if you are able to form a smooth dough
Cover the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes. This is important and please do not skip. I've tried skipping this part and the cilok turned out tough. Resting the dough will ensure that the gluten has relaxed and the cilok will be soft and chewy
Shape into balls:
Pinch off the dough, about 15-20 gram each and roll into a smooth ball. Repeat with the rest of the dough. Keep them covered. If you plan to put some filling. Shape the dough into bowl-like and put the filling inside. Enclose to seal tightly. Bring a large pot of water to a boil when you are almost done shaping the dough
Boil the tapioca dough:
When water comes to a rolling boil, add 1 teaspoon of cooking oil. Put the tapioca balls in. Stir a bit to make sure they don't sink to the bottom and stick to the bottom of the pot. Let the boil for the next 10-15 minutes. Even if cilok has floated before 10 minutes, don't take them out yet. The inside may not be cooked through just yet
Remove from the boiling water and let them cool down. You can thread the balls into a skewer, about 4-5 balls each
Serve:
Serve cilok with a generous drizzle of peanut sauce and chili sauce. You can also serve the sauce on the side if you prefer
How to keep leftover:
Cilok can be kept in the fridge for maximum of 2-3 days. The longer you keep, the drier they may get. They will be tough for sure. Simply reheat in the microwave or briefly boil them in hot water until heated through and they are as good as new again