Kelantan

Oh The Salty Goodness!

Nek Minah, an Etok seller.

Meet Mokcik Etok!

No. It's not her real name.

I deliberately called her that for those tiny things she was selling for RM 1 per cup or per cone.

Before you would guess it, those things are called " ETOK ".

An Etok seller at Pasar Kubang Pasu.

My observation tells me that only women sell Etok.

Etok sellers usually placed their commodity on a nyiru, a tray made from woven bamboo or pandanus strips, with a piece of newspaper lined between to avoid dirtying the Nyiru.

Don't look in your Kamus Dewan.

You probably won't find the meaning of the word since it is purely Kelantanese.

Even if you did, either Kelantanese is a prevalent Malay Dialect ( he he.. )

or they probably had it misspelled as E - T - A - K.

Yes.

Etok.

It's E - T - O - K, not E - T - A - K 

( and do not get confuse with A - T - O - K .. he he )

That is how they say it in Kelantan ! ~ ETOK ~!

Etok is a small, pebble-sized, freshwater corbicula clam which lives at the bottom of rivers and canals, alongside scavanging fishes and crustaceans.

Mostly found in the shallows and sandy parts of the river, they are least known or simply neglected by most Malaysians.

The Kelantanese in the other hand, are so used with Etok.

Besides giving it the only name probably known to the Malays, they also have a different yet creative idea concerning Etok. They would pick the Etok out from the river, clean them thoroughly, and for a short while, marinate the molusc with a special combination of crushed shallot, ginger, garlic, lemon grass and salt. Then quickly and very lightly "roasted" over glowing charcoal or under the Sun, to be eaten raw as an enjoyable snack !

Etok, as a light snack, is uniquely and truly Kelantanese.

You won't find this anywhere else. At least, not in other parts of Malaysia.

I started to realize how Etok had stretched across the political borders, only when I was living abroad. After all those years taking Etok for granted.

How Etok is found.

Etok is found usually in rivers, the part where it's muddy and after the tide fall. How to do it? Its as simple as it is. What you need is only a basket that has holes in it and a basin. First, find your territory, somewhere shallow and muddy. Second, just scoop it off and shake that basket until all the water and sand is gone. Then, viola! there's your Etok right there. Last but not least, put those little creatures in the basin and repeat step one.

How Etok is cooked.

Ohh...and that, I am so proud with Etok !

So, as you can see, only properly cooked ones would surrender the fleshy parts within and since the Kelantanese Etok, is a snack halfway there, a little bit of effort is needed to get to the treat. Most would use their teeth, but my Mom, wanting me to keep my teeth for my old age,taught me the way of the knife instead.

Shaving away bits of the clam's mouth part with a knife would expose a small elongated crevice, then a single thrust of the blade through the crevice would pry it open with ease.

So, for those first timers out there, I would be more than happy to impart you this " knifing-skill " of mine in exchange for.. well, not much, just a few red RM notes ? Anyone interested ? he he...

( By the way, will it make me less Kelantanese if I tell you that, I don't know how to pry open Etok, using my teeth ? )

Etok is undeniably delicious, but like any popular personalities out there, there will always be an ugly side. Etok is a bottom dwelling creature, like Kerang, Kepah, Tiram etc etc. It lives by filtering in food particles from the water, and in the process, even taking in toxic residue which then builds up in its flesh which later consumed by humans. Which is a bad thing, and to add to the fear list, they mostly came from the Kelantan River !

A hot spot for seasonal cholera outbreak and since it is consumed raw, a risky treat if you are not being careful. Unless if you cook them like the Siput Sedut Gulai Lemak, like my grandmother used to make, and then the risk would simply boil away.

But on top of that, honestly, I never heard of people getting cholera by just eating Etok before and probably not now or in the future.. The risk is so small, seasonal and negligible. The toxic residue ? You already ate tonnes of them from your greens.

Etok, sold in cones of newspapers.

Just dont die in vain, holding yourselves away from Etok when you are really into it.

It is either love or hate.

Okay, I can't wait for another semester break now. Need to grab myself a handful of those Etok. For recipes, do click on the recipes tab, will you.