''Cukok Tongkol'' - the Baweanese delicacy

''Cukok Tongkol'' - Tuna fish

Generally, Singaporean Baweanese enjoy eating ''Cukok Tongkol''. ''Cukok'' is a Baweanese word for fish and ''Tongkol'' refers to ''Tuna''. The Tuna fish is associated with the Baweanese people due to their passion eating the fish, turning it into a delicacy in their daily meals. This is a well-known fact among the people living in the Malay community. Some Baweanese take pride of this fact for they can be easily identified as a ''Boyan'' living among the other Indonesian ethnic groups in this community.

Like any other Singaporean Baweanese, I love to eat ''Cukok Tongkol'' which can be cooked into variety of dishes. My mother often cook dishes such as ''Celok Tongkol'', ''Semur Tongkol'', ''Penteng Tongkol'', ''Samble Tomes Tongkol'', ''Tomes Tongkol''. They are my favorite dishes eaten with white rice. Yummy!

''Samble Tomes Tongkol'' (Baweanese version of the Malay Asam Pedas dish)

''Celok Tongkol'' - the pride of Baweanese delicacy

''Penteng Tongkol'' (Baweanese version of the Malay Pindang dish)

During my childhood days in the 1960s and 1970s while living in Pondok Kelompang Gubuk, I remember helping my grandmother to grill the Tuna fish. To go with it, she would prepare black sauce mixed with fresh pounded chilli, thinly sliced onion and lime juice. In other occasion, she would prepare ''Buja Cappi'' – pounded fresh chilli with salt mixed with lime juice. ''Buja'' is the Baweanese word for salt while ''Cappi'' is the Baweanse word for chilli.

Sliced Tuna

Green vegetables coconut soup

Tuna fish can also be sliced thinly and marinated with salted tumeric powder paste before deep fried. Fried Tuna can be eaten with white rice and green vegetables coconut soup. My grandmother used to prepare ''Pencek-Pencek'' - boiled eggs mashed with chilli shrimp paste (sambal belacan) and green sour mango shredded very thinly, to make the meal appealing. In other occasion, she would steam ''Paes Tongkol'' - thinly sliced boiled Tuna fish with dried chilli paste mixed with tamarind juice, sugar and salt wrapped in banana leaves. Hmmm! I miss very much eating my grandmother's cooking!