by Razali Nordin
With each Ramadan, bubur pedas and kuih bongkol are among the choice favourites for breaking of fast in Sarawak, but those who enjoy seafood, suntong tutok is also a preferred delicacy.
Suntong tutok, a dish of grilled dried squid or sotong that has been flattened out with a hammer or put through a roller and eaten with a hot sauce dip, is popular for iftar despite the increase in its price each year, according to Dayang Zunika Abang Adenan, 61, who has been selling it since aged 20.
Met at Kampung Nombor, here, she said the situation now was different from yesteryear as the current market price of squid has reached over RM160 per kilogramme (kg) compared to RM45 per kg 30 years ago.
“Despite the high increase in price, my hands are sometimes full in meeting the orders for suntong tutok not just from in and around Kuching but also from Sabah and Peninsular Malaysia,” she added.
Operating each night during Ramadan, Dayang Zunika is never short in sales of the delicacy, using no less than five kg of squid per day and each is sold at RM5 to RM25, depending on the size.
Dayang Zunika said she now preferred the method of rolling out the squid to flatten it, especially for the longer and thicker squid but would still make the sotong ketuk (pounded squid) if there was demand for it from customers.
“Whatever the method, pounded with a tool or rolled out by using a machine, each has its unique taste and texture,” she said. – BERNAMA
