TUMPAT: Demand for 'etok salai', a popular Kelantanese roadside snack continues to thrive despite many having to stay home following the Movement Control Order (MCO).
According to Wan Rubiah Wan Ibrahim, who is among the famous 'etok salai' sellers in Kelantan, the number of her customers remained the same even during the MCO period.
"Praise be to God. My income remains the same as customers still come to my stall.
"However, they did not forget to follow the standard operating procedures such as wearing face masks and practising physical distancing," she said.
The 57-year-old trader when met at her stall in Cabang Tiga Kepulau, here said she sells four types of etok to her customers priced from RM2.
"I sell four types of etok salai - spicy, original, sweet and tomyam flavours but the most popular are the original and tomyam flavours.
"I get my supplies from Thailand and sell around 100 kg a day," she said, adding that her stall was open every day.
Wan Rubiah fondly known as Kak Yah said the popularity of her etok caused several other traders to copy her brand of "Etok salai Cabang Tiga Kepulau".
"A few of my customers asked me whether I have agents or branches in several wet markets and other roadside stalls as claimed by the other sellers.
"I told them that I have no agent and never allowed others to sell my etok," said Wan Rubiah who ventured into the etok salai business 10 years ago.
Etok, a type of freshwater clam or its scientific name Corbiculacea, is cooked with salt and lemongrass.
It is a common snack among the locals and usually wrapped and sold in newspapers.
Apart from being sold along roadsides, it can also be found in the local markets.
There are many ways of cooking etok and the traditional Kelantanese style is "salai" which means the clam would be cleaned and marinated with several spices such as lemongrass, ginger, garlic and others. - NST
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