Cukok Tongkol -Tuna

Tuna

Generally, Singaporeans of Baweanese descent enjoy eating Tuna, also known as "Cukok Tongkol" in Baweanese language. "Cukok" means fish and "Tongkol" refers to "Tuna". In Singapore, the word "Tongkol" is synonym to the word "Boyan". It is a well-known fact among the people living in the Singapore Malay community that Tuna is associated with the Baweanese due to their passion for having this fish in their daily meals. If an individual happens to be seen eating tuna dish, the perception that comes into mind is that, the particular person is a Baweanese by race. Majority of the Singapore Baweanese take pride in eating Tuna because they want to be identified as "Boyanese". However, there are few who refuse to be associated with it and deny about their ethnicity.

Sliced Tuna

Before the 1970s, due to low demand, Tuna was very cheap compared to the other big fishes. The cheap price and ability to feed several mouths were among the several reasons Tuna became very popular among the Baweanese living in Singapore during that period. Back then, the non-Baweanese did not like to buy Tuna due to difficulties in cleaning and treating it -too much blood and strong smell of blood. In 1960s a big size Tuna (as shown above) used to cost about 80 cents. Today, it is still one of the cheapest fish among the other big ones. The Tuna in the above photograph cost S$7.00 after bargaining.

Kela Celok Tongkol

Kela Pentheng Tongkol

Kela Tomes Tongkol

Sambel Tomes Tongkol

Semur Tongkol

Tuna can be grilled or fried or cooked into variety of dishes. Some of the Baweanese Tuna dishes include "Kela Celok Tongkol", "Kela Pentheng Tongkol", "Kela Tomes Tongkol", "Sambel Tomes Tongkol" and "Semur Tongkol". These dishes can be eaten with steam white rice.

Grilled Tuna

Black Soy Sauce with chili, onion and lime juice

Fried Tuna

Recipe for Fried Tuna
Ingredients
1 medium size Tuna -clean and slice thinly
Tumeric paste
Oil

Tumeric paste
A spoonful of Tumeric powder
Pinch of Salt
Water

Method
Mix sliced Tuna with the Tumeric paste
Leave about 5 minutes before deep fry

Tuna makes a delicious grilled fish. It is usually eaten by dipping bit pieces of it's flesh into a bowl of black soy sauce with pounded chili, sliced onion and lime juice. The body of Tuna can be sliced thinly and marinated with tumeric paste before deep fry. Grilled and Fried Tuna can be eaten with steam white rice. Coconut vegetable soup or Asam vegetable soup added on to the rice makes a perfect meal! Yummy!

Cabbage in Coconut Soup

Green Vegetable in Coconut Soup

Lady Fingers in Asam Soup

Roti Boyan - The Baweanese Bread

Roti Boyan Kentang - with mashed potatoes filling

There are two types of Baweanese bread usually eaten during breakfast and tea time. One is with mashed potatoes filling and the other is similar to the Indian Prata. Many thought that Baweanese bread originated from Bawean Island. This is not the case. Roti Boyan was 'born' in Malaya during British Colonization. (Malaya was a British Colony in South-east Asia. After independence, it became into two different countries known as Malaysia and Singapore).

Roti Boyan with egg -similar to the Indian Prata

Baweanese who immigrated to Ipoh, Perak (Sungai Rokam -one of the oldest Baweanese settlements in Malay Peninsula) during the colonial days, probably were the first to make Roti Boyan. I was told by my late maternal grandmother who came to live in Ipoh at the age of fifteen around 1930s, that she learned making Roti Boyan from her relatives living in Sungai Rokam. During my trip to Bawean island in May 2010, an Islander told me that the older generations in Bawean island did not know the method of making Roti Boyan. When I asked her about its origin, she said it was introduced only in the recent years. In her case, she learned making Roti Boyan from her relatives living in Malaysia.

Roti Boyan Kentang with Sambel Bilis

Most probably, Roti Boyan Kentang is a product due to the assimilation of cultures in the Malay Peninsula. It has the culture of Indian, British, Chinese and Malay. The dough is from the Indians (prata originated in India called frata), mashed potatoes is from the British (mash potatoes is Western food), the Chinese Celery is from the Chinese (this vegetable is found in many Chinese dishes) and Sambel Bilis (Sambal Bilis) made from dried chili is a Malay dish (Bawean islanders use fresh chili to make their own kind of Sambal. I remember my grandmother used to send dried chili to her relatives in Bawean because this product was not available in the island. While I was in Bawean in 2010, I did not encounter any Sambal Bilis dish. While I was there, Roti Boyan was served as it was. I ate Nasi Lemak with fried salted fish instead of the Malay Sambal and fried Ikan Bilis.)

Sambel Bilis

In making the dough for Roti Boyan Kentang, two tablespoonful of ghee is mix with a pinch of salt in a bowl of warm water before pouring one kg of flour into it. The dough is roll on a pin several times, greasing it with oil before rolling it multiple times. Boiled skinless potatoes are mash in a bowl. Then add salt, pepper, chopped celery and eggs, mixing them into perfect filling. The filling is then wrap with the flat rolled dough before pan fry. Roti Boyan Kentang is eaten with 'Sambel Bilis' or 'Sambel Telor' or 'Sambel Tongkol'.

Semur Tongkol

Making the other type of Baweanese bread is simpler than the previous. The method of making the dough is the same as the first. The dough is roll on a pin several times, greasing it with oil before rolling it multiple times before pan fry. Beaten egg with sliced onion is pour onto the dough while pan fry. This bread is usually eaten with 'Sambel Bilis' or 'Sambel Tomes Tongkol' or 'Semur Tongkol'.

Sambel Tomes Tongkol 

Today, Roti Boyan is eaten not only by the Baweanese but also by others from different ethnic groups living in the Singapore Malay community. The favorite is the one filled with mashed potatoes. It became popular with a different look.

Roti Boyan Kentang with a new look