Pecel LeleorPecak lele is a deep friedcatfish dish commonly found in Indonesia. It consists of catfish served with traditional sambal chili paste, often served with fried tempeh and steamed rice. It is a popular Javanese dish widely distributed in Indonesian cities, especially in Java. However, it is often associated with Lamongan town, west of SurabayainEast Java, as majority of pecel lele seller hailed from this town.[1] Often served in a street-side humble tent warung in Indonesian cities, pecel lele can be considered as an affordable food for everybody. Today, due to migrations of Javanese people to neighboring countries, pecel lele can also be found in Singapore and Malaysia.
Although it has a similar name, it should not be confused with another Javanese dish, pecel, which is a vegetables dish served in peanut sauce. Pecel lele is not served in peanut sauce, but in sambal terasi (ground chili with shrimp paste sauce) instead. However, some recipes might add a little bit of ground peanuts into their sambals.
