By Wilfred Pilo
KUCHING, July 1: ‘Rojak cucur’ is a popular dish made of vegetable fritters, grated cucumber and jicama (sengkuang) smothered with a thick, savoury sweet potato gravy.
It can be eaten as a light meal at any time of the day, or as a more filling dish with the addition of meat, such as chicken or eggs.
Those who love ‘rojak cucur’ with plenty of crunch in their fritters should give Suraya Rosli’s rojak cucur a try.
Suraya, when met by DayakDaily at her brother’s stall, said she is able to make a variety of noodle dishes like ‘kolo mee’, ‘kampua’, ‘mee belacan’, ‘curry mee’, and ‘mee Brunei’, as well as other dishes, including her family’s ‘rojak cucur’.
” ‘Rojak cucur’ is a family recipe and is a simple local salad comprising deep-fried fritters made from finely chopped long beans and cut to bite-sized portions, served with grated cucumber, local sweet turnip (jicama) and topped up with thick, sweet potato gravy,” she explained.
She said that if customers wanted more heft to their ‘rojak cucur’, they could order ‘rojak ayam’ or ‘rojak cucur + mee’.
“All these dishes have ‘rojak cucur’ as the basis,” she explained.
“Our ‘rojak cucur’ is always crispy. It remains crispy even when cold. The trick is how you prepare the batter mixture and the timing when deep-frying the batter.”
Suraya said she believed that the ‘rojak cucur’ she prepares is well-liked because there are relatively fewer stalls serving it, compared to dishes like kolo mee and laksa.
She revealed that all her siblings are self-taught in the food business, and the 38-year-old mother of three has made it her profession for 18 years.
Hailing from Tupong Tengah, Suraya revealed that her culinary knowledge came from her mother, a self-taught cook whom in turn she inherited her skills from her maternal family.
She described her parents’ family kitchen as their ‘culinary learning institution’, and thanks to it and her family, food has been her and her siblings’ source of livelihood.
“We learned everything from my mother, and I believe naturally, her children are good at it. I do not think I am a good cook, but when I opened up my stall or whenever I cooked for family and friends, I was surprised that I got good reviews from them.
“My father is my best food critic and I often ask him which food is lacking and whether he likes it. He somehow has the palate for good food. So, he will advise me on what I should add on or take out. I am lucky that I can consult my family, especially my father,” she revealed.
Suraya opined food operators must know how to use menu boards to sell their dishes.
“I reminded and told family members that on the menu board, they must always put popular dishes at eye level so that customers can see what is on the menu and the price.”
She said that as food operators, they must also be ready to engage with potential customers who approach their stalls.
“From experience and to get the customer’s attention on our ‘rojak cucur’, I always raise my voice as the customers approach our stall and say ‘rojak cucur! rojak ayam!’ Most of the time, it works, and as operators, we must do it to help us make our dishes known.”
Suraya opined that food operators also had to be quick in serving their customers as food is to be served fresh.
“When customers or regulars know which eatery serves what dishes, they will go to it. I am pleased that many customers like our family’s ‘rojak cucur’ despite us only being open for almost a year here.
“We hope our ‘rojak cucur’ continues to give customers satisfaction and they will keep coming back to us,” she said.
Suraya’s brother’s stall is at Matang Kafeteria@Sungai Maong, a food court just off Jalan Stapok. The food court operates 24 hours daily. For more information, call 012-857 7235. — DayakDaily
