KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 11 — A plate hits the table and frankly, it doesn’t look appealing; it’s just a mound of black and white sesame seeds covering a thick brown sauce, with green shoots peeking out from underneath, dotted with golden brown fried crackers.
A closer look at the plate reveals translucent sprigs of jellyfish and those fried crackers are actually Chinese crullers or you tiao.
This is Sotong Paku Pakis, a riff on Sotong Kangkung (cuttlefish salad), which is usually eaten as a snack.
Find it at the cavernous Win Kee Food Garden, which houses so many food stalls that you won’t leave hungry.
This stall, called Sotongpaku Kepong, was previously at Sam Gor Kopitiam, Taman Kepong, which consolidated its second stall inside Win Kee Food Garden just a month ago.
Originally started back in 2012, the owner took a 14-year hiatus while overseas and recently revived the stall in the middle of this year.
Its vibe is that of a typical blanched cuttlefish salad, usually found in Chinese and Malay stalls, served as a snack.
This version is similar to that served at a stall in Gopeng, Perak, which swaps kangkung for paku pakis (wild fern shoots) but the other place serves it with a different sauce.
While kangkung is a cheaper ingredient readily available everywhere, paku pakis has a fresher, tender bite that works better than kangkung, whose hollow stems can sometimes be too fibrous.
Unlike the Sotong Kangkung version, which uses a sweet brown rojak sauce with dried shrimp paste, this version uses a slightly sweet-spicy thick peanut sauce.
It’s generously blanketed with toasted sesame seeds and toasted ground peanuts that boost the flavours even more.
There’s a choice of toppings: blanched brown cuttlefish (RM15), jellyfish (RM13), and baby octopus (RM22), each offering a different texture.
Using reconstituted brown cuttlefish soaked in lye water, the pieces are translucent and have a slight bite.
For the jellyfish, it leans more towards a crunchier bite, which I feel works best with this thick sauce and the fern shoots.
The baby octopus served whole, offers a firmer bite that can become chewy if blanched too long.
For a contrast of textures, consider adding the you tiao topping for an extra RM2, as each crunchy piece can mop up the thick sauce.
I find the whole combination addictive, often ordering a second plate of the salad. One passing customer also told me the salad is irresistible, making seconds inevitable.
The stall also offers Oyster Omelette (RM16) and a lala clams version for a more substantial snack.
This version of the omelette has a firmer texture with fewer chewy bits of potato starch, uplifted by a sweet-sour chilli sauce served on the side.
Both omelettes use frozen seafood but the oysters have more flavour compared to the clams, which are more about texture.
Since the stall owner works alone, you can collect the food yourself once he beeps you; he offers a RM2 self-pickup discount per dish.
He can also deliver your order directly to your table, which may take time since he is a one-man show, cooking and delivering everything himself.
Currently they have not signed on to any delivery platform, but you can arrange delivery via Lala Move with the stall owner.
Sotongpaku Kepong @ Win Kee Food Garden
Persiaran Kip Utama,
Taman Perindustrian Kip,
Kuala Lumpur.
Open: 4pm to 11pm. Closed on Mondays.
Tel:017-2257795
Facebook: @cuttlefishpaku
* This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.
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