KOTA KINABALU: Did they mean coto or soto? That was what this writer wondered when she was first asked to try the “Coto Makassar” at a function recently.
As it turned out, coto is a traditional Indonesian dish similar to the Malaysian soto. The soup-based coto is from Makassar, South Sulawesi but its ingredients and serving methods differ from that of soto.
The delicious aroma of broth and spices permeated the air as she moved nearer to the food truck selling Coto Makassar. It made her mouth water.
A burst of flavour greeted her palates as she sipped on the soup. It was tasty indeed, but different than any of the soto that she had ever tasted.
Coto is highly popular among those in the east coast of Sabah, particularly in Sandakan. This is mainly because Sandakan is located next to the Indonesian border. It is, however, not a familiar dish to the people in the state’s west coast.
Despite this, Sandakan-born Nursadiqine Awang Jeffri decided the bold step of selling Coto Makassar off a food truck here, hoping to introduce the dish to the region and find a niche among the locals.
“Coto Makassar is a seasoned broth made with either beef or chicken as well as ground peanuts and spices.
“It is typically served in a bowl and eaten with ketupat or burasa – a type of ketupat wrapped in banana leaf,” she told Bernama in an interview.
Nursadiqine, 31, is currently staying in Tuaran, some 34km from here. She first started selling Coto Makassar on a small scale by fulfilling orders from friends. Their overwhelming reception gave her the confidence to take the business further.
“I first took down orders for Coto Makassar after quitting work in 2014. Friends placed their orders through social media.
“The orders increased in volume as the days went by. I’ve always wanted to sell from a food truck so I went ahead with it because it enables us to move easily from one place to another,” said Nursadiqine, who uses her family’s recipe to make the traditional dish.
Before its food truck debut, the Coto Makassar made from Nursadiqine’s family recipe had only been served to family members during weddings or festive seasons.
She said her family recipe for the dish was different from other Coto Makassar’s in that it was less greasy than those typically sold around Sandakan.
“We have to be watchful and attentive when frying the peanuts and when prepping other ingredients. We also use our own recipe for the sambal.
“The groundnuts need to be carefully toasted so that it doesn’t burn and affect the taste of the coto. The broth must be thick and the sambal spicy,” said Nursadiqine, who hopes one day to open her own restaurant.
She operates the food truck with her husband Ahmad Danial Ahmad Junidi, 29. They would prepare only 100 bowls per day, selling each at RM7.
The couple uses their food truck to sell Coto Makassar around Kota Kinabalu and Tuaran.
Nursadiqine, a mother of two, said that she and her husband initially had problems getting a business loan and coming up with a capital to start their business.
However, their problem was solved when they joined the state’s Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (Fama) MyAgrosis micro funding programme for young entrepreneurs.
Nursadiqine said that the loan from Fama was used to purchase a second-hand truck that was later modified for the purpose of their business.
The one-tonne truck was purchased at RM9,000 and is now equipped with food preparation facilities.
Their food truck is currently only operating during events and in certain places in Kota Kinabalu such as the Likas Stadium and the Tanjung Aru Perdana Park.
“It can get a little difficult sometimes as there is no designated spot for us to park our food truck and operate our business from,” said Nursadiqine, who hoped that local authorities would look into the problem.
“As such, if there are no events, I would take down orders but not through the food truck. I would deliver them by car,” she said.
Meanwhile, the state Fama deputy director of entrepreneur development Mohd Shukri Majalin said that to date, 365 youths in Sabah had registered for the Myagrosis micro funding programme for young entrepreneurs.
He said those qualified to join the programme were required to join a technical training programme before they could be given aid in the form of equipment worth RM10,000.
“This programme facilitates those aged between 18 and 40 years old who are interested to go into business but are facing difficulties coming up with the capital,” he said.
The funding programme covers the agricultural and agro-based industry sectors such as manufacturing, farming, fishing and marketing. The aid provided is in the form of equipment and facilities as well as a circulating capital.
One of Nursadiqine’s first-time customers, Andy Yong, 40, found the Coto Makassar to be incredibly tasty.
Andy, who is from Kota Kinabalu, had previously never tasted a savoury dish as such.
“This is the first time that I’ve tried anything like it because you don’t usually find something like this here (in Kota Kinabalu). It’s really delicious,” he said.
Meanwhile, a long-time fan of Coto Makassar, Roshidi Rashid, was pleased to find the flavoursome broth being sold in Kota Kinabalu.
The 30-year-old and his family would usually attend every programme held in the district in hopes of coming across Nursadiqine’s food truck.
“The broth is unique and tastes different from others that I’ve tried,” he said. –Bernama
