Siomaynya kenyal, tetapi satenya agak gosong.

In this sentence, -nya most naturally makes the noun sound specific:

• siomaynya = the siomay / the siomay we’re talking about
• satenya = the satay / the satay in question

So the sentence is not talking about siomay and satay in general; it is talking about a particular serving.

Important: -nya can also mean his/her/their, depending on context. But here, the most natural reading is just the specific siomay and the specific satay, not necessarily possession.

Indonesian often omits the verb “to be” in simple present descriptive sentences.

So:

• Siomaynya kenyal literally looks like The siomay chewy
• satenya agak gosong literally looks like the satay somewhat burnt

This is completely normal in Indonesian. You do not need adalah here.

Kenyal describes a texture that is chewy, springy, bouncy, or pleasantly elastic.

It is often used for foods like:

• dumplings
• meatballs
• noodles
• fish cakes

So kenyal is usually a positive or neutral food-texture word, not the same as tough or hard. In English, chewy can sometimes sound negative, but kenyal often suggests a desirable texture.

Agak means rather, somewhat, fairly, or a bit.

So:

• agak gosong = rather burnt / a bit burnt

It softens the description. Without agak, gosong would sound more direct:

• satenya gosong = the satay is burnt

With agak, the speaker sounds less absolute and a little gentler.

Gosong usually means scorched, charred, or burnt on the surface, often from cooking too long or over too much heat.

It often suggests:

• too dark
• over-charred
• slightly burnt

A useful comparison:

• gosong = burnt/scorched, often on the outside
• hangus = more severely burnt, possibly ruined or completely burnt up

So agak gosong suggests the satay is a little overdone, not necessarily totally inedible.

Both mean but.

• tetapi = more neutral, standard, or slightly more formal
• tapi = more conversational and common in everyday speech

So this sentence could also be:

• Siomaynya kenyal, tapi satenya agak gosong.

That would sound very natural too.

In Indonesian, descriptive words commonly come after the noun phrase in this kind of sentence.

So:

• siomaynya kenyal = the siomay is chewy
• satenya agak gosong = the satay is rather burnt

This is different from English, where adjectives usually come before nouns in noun phrases, like chewy siomay. But here these are not noun phrases; they are full descriptions:

• noun/topic + description

Yes, that is a very good literal-style translation.

Structure:

• Siomaynya = the siomay
• kenyal = chewy
• tetapi = but
• satenya = the satay
• agak = rather / somewhat
• gosong = burnt / scorched

That translation matches the Indonesian structure and tone quite well.

Indonesian nouns usually do not change form for singular vs. plural the way English nouns do.

So siomay can mean:

• a siomay
• some siomay
• the siomay dish/serving

In this sentence, siomaynya most likely refers to the siomay serving/dish being discussed, not necessarily one single piece.

The same applies to sate: it could refer to the satay dish or portion, not strictly one skewer.

A simple approximation:

• siomaynya ≈ see-oh-MAI-nya
• satenya ≈ sah-TAY-nya

A few pronunciation notes:

• ny in Indonesian is like the ny sound in canyon
• e in sate is pronounced like ay in many standard pronunciations: sa-te
• siomay is borrowed from a Chinese food name, so its spelling may look less familiar than more purely native Indonesian words

Yes. In normal Indonesian spelling, suffixes like -nya are written attached directly to the word:

• siomaynya
• satenya

In teaching materials, people sometimes write siomay-nya just to show the parts more clearly, but standard spelling is siomaynya.

Yes, in principle it could, because -nya can mark possession: his/her/their.

However, in this sentence, without extra context, the most natural interpretation is:

• the siomay
• the satay

If the speaker really wanted to emphasize possession, the context would usually make that clearer.

Yes, very natural.

The pattern is common:

• [food/item] + description, tetapi/tapi + [food/item] + description

For example:

• Baksonya enak, tetapi kuahnya terlalu asin.
  The meatballs are tasty, but the broth is too salty.
• Nasinya lembek, tapi ayamnya gurih.
  The rice is too soft, but the chicken is savory.

So Siomaynya kenyal, tetapi satenya agak gosong sounds like a normal food comment or review.