BY SHARIFAH NONG-JASIMA
KUCHING’s billing as Unesco’s Creative City of Gastronomy is an achievement residents here are most proud of, and they should be because it is a city rich with all sorts of gastronomical goodies.
This title rings true, especially during Ramadan, when Kuching food sellers promote seasonal food, such as bubur pedas, kueh bongkol and many more.
One of the most popular dishes during the holy month of Ramadan is the famous sotong tutok or suntong tutok (smashed squid).
Located near the Bakti Nur Islam Mosque on Jalan Arang, 32-year-old Muhd Shukri Saidi, the founder of Shukaleng and Co., and his wife have been selling sotong tutok for the first time this year, alongside the usual sugarcane juice, ABC, and traditional cakes.
Muhd Shukri uses the tedious but traditional method of pounding the sotong tutok with a hammer, and he recalls the first time he tried processing sotong tutok.
According to him, he did not pound the squid properly on the first night he started selling, which led him to see his friend in Kampung Nombor to learn how to do so.
“I am grateful that I have friends who are willing to teach me the correct method to pound the squid properly, and I have managed to come as far as the ninth day of Ramadan,” he expressed.
Muhd Shukri also says there is a taste difference between pounding with a hammer and using a grinder.
“I personally find that hammering the squid on belian wood (ironwood) makes the squid taste nicer and sweeter than being flattened with a squid grinding machine.
“Also, using the grinding machine may make the process easier but the ridges on the grinding machine can cause the squid to break apart, but when you use a hammer, the squid stays flat and it elongates,” he explained.
He added that before he started the pounding process, he would usually separate the squid’s head from its body and then remove the middle bone; he grills the squid for a few minutes.
“After grilling the squid until it is soft enough to pound, I will roll it and then start pounding it to the desired texture,” he said.
Muhd Shukri and his wife get their squid from a supplier at Gambier Road daily to ensure it is fresh.
“No sotong tutok is complete without its sambal sauce, and its ingredients are the typical soy sauce, chilli, and more.
“But what makes my sambal special is that my lovely wife makes it,” he said jokingly, referring to his sambal sauce.
Shukri said he sells sotong tutok only during Ramadan because it is a Ramadan-only delicacy, which is when people are most likely to look for it.
His sotong tutok varies in size and the price ranges from RM5 to RM30.
Meanwhile, friends Mohd Safaruddin Moni and Azerol Azmil Arshad, both 30, share a stall with Shako Burger located in front of Fauziah Cafe, Metrocity have had five years of experience selling sotong tutok.
“We use both grinding with the machine and pounding with a hammer, and to me, the only difference is that when pounding with the hammer, you can get a woody aftertaste from the belian wood, which makes the taste unique.
“However, when ground solely by the machine, you will get a more distinctive squid flavour,” Mohd Safaruddin explained.
As for the sauce, he incorporates gula apong into the blend of soy sauce and chilli, opting for lime over vinegar, which gives his sauce a distinctive taste.
Mohd Safaruddin and Azerol sell sotong tutok only during Ramadan because it is not available all year round, and it has the Ramadan vibes.
This year, the two friends have been seeing fewer customers than in prior years, conceding a recent price increase may have contributed to that.
“I hope that squid suppliers will lower the prices of squids to make it easy for sellers like us to sell our sotong tutok at an affordable price.
“And I hope that sotong tutok sellers around Kuching will endure these challenging times,” Mohd Safaruddin added.
He also hopes that sotong tutok fans will continue supporting the various sotong tutok sellers around Kuching.
Mohd Safaruddin and Azerol sell their sotong tutok at RM5, RM8, RM10 and RM15, depending on the squid size.
