Fried Seafood Stall

Balitong, siput sedut and siput cepaku are just few of its many names. A type of sea snail, found in muddy coastal rivers, balitong tends to be a very popular dish amongst the Chinese and Malays. These little snails are well known to be the Malaysian alternative of escargots.

By Ash Luques

Photography by FriedChillies

Posted on Tue, October 20, 2009 - 8:29:36 AM

1 Comments

I love balitong. I once scolded a hawker for having a balitong sign but not selling it. It was around 2 am and having just left work, I thought I needed to unwind with a nice supper. I headed to Hartamas Square in search of a variety of food to pig out on. It’s not easy getting a table here on a weekend but we persevered. After a stretch of aimless searching, we found a table located in front of a seafood stall. Just as we sat, the uncle walks out holding a place of steaming hot balitong for the table beside us. JACKPOT! There’s a variety of seafood dishes sold at this stall, but I couldn’t be bothered for I had only one dish in mind. The uncle’s right hand man was a little abrupt, but understood that I wanted balitong pedas.

We waited for about 5 minutes before our Malaysian escargots arrived. Placed in front of us was a plate of piping hot balitong coated in a thick spicy sauce, with cili padi, curry leaves and four angle beans. Without waiting for the other orders, I began what the Chinese call “kissing the snail”. This is the art of sucking hard on the back of the shell before sucking on the front to release the meat. Its best to remove the thin shell like membrane before chewing as it can get stuck to the roof of your mouth (very irritating). Balitong can be eaten using chopsticks, but the best way to enjoy snail sucking, is by getting your fingers dirty.

The key to making Balitong taste good is the sauce, and this stall just perfected it! The thick gravy is dark and salty with a hint of sweetness and a kick of heat from the cili padi. I licked every drop of that addictive gravy off my fingertips from start to finish. This has got to be the best style to cook Balitong in! There’s a generous amount of garlic bits all over the Balitong, and there is almost a buttery taste that coats the little slivers of meat that comes out of the shells. The cili padi will have you reaching for your beverage every few minutes but its all part of the charm. There are also crunchy four angle beans thrown in for an “ulam” twist to it.

"Uncle, balitong satu, pedas yeah!"

We also ordered ikan pari bakar (grilled stingray) from the stall nearby but that was thoroughly disappointing. The empty plate of Balitong had a lot of sauce leftover in it, and since I was still a little hungry, I ordered a bowl of plain white rice and mixed it in. This sauce, I tell you is dangerous! It tastes good with everything! I ate the rice plain, and finished every grain so as not to waste even a drop of the sauce. As for the grilled fish, it had no place in my tummy after my delicious snail snack.

There were other dishes from this stall that I have tried previously, but none of it can be compared to the Balitong. As a snack or a meal, this dish definitely will fill up your craving for seafood. Having a few shells aren’t enough so be thankful that the small portion of the Balitong is more than enough to feed two. I’ll vouch for this place. I can’t even begin to imagine eating siput sedut ‘masak lemak’ ever again, not after having tasted this guy’s style of cooking.

Earlier I said that the cook’s right hand man was a little abrupt, but I take it back now for soon after serving us, he came back to make a joke about how the Balitong would taste better if he were allowed to cook it as the chef “ tidak hensem”(not good looking). Personally I hope there won’t be a change as I’m already making plans to come back here next week.

Pros: There are a whole load of varieties to choose from when it comes to food and drinks

Cons: Food and drinks can take a while to arrive due to the crowd; tables are hard to find even on weekdays.

Address: F27, Fried Seafood, Hartamas Square, Jalan Sri Hartamas 23/70A, Kuala Lumpur

Telephone:

TehBeng
October 21, 2009 11:50PM GMT

I do this at home sometimes... but I'm with you on this bro... love the siput sedut. Btw, there's a stall near pasar minggu in Kg Baru that does excellent lemak kuning pedas siput sedut. Its somewhere in the middle of the long row of similar looking stalls so you can have a nice go at experimenting which one is the gem.

You must be logged in to post comments

Sate Minang @ Pasar Malam Taman Melawati -- Indonesian : I used to frequent the pasar malam in Taman Melawati…

How-To Aid Digestion -- The Food Channel : Shiva from Indian Kitchen shares his knowledge on spices…

Hiestand Bakery -- Western : This little bakery is just the kind of place that is…

Cephalopod on Celluloid -- Food @ the Movies : I take great satisfaction in seeing a giant tentacled…

Alor Curry Mee -- Chinese (pork free) : “Okay, we only have an hour for dinner before we…

How-To Aid Digestion

1.10 mins

Simple steps to beat those tummy troubles

How-To Make the Perfect Burger

1.00 mins

So perfect you wouldn't believe it

Sexy Equipments by Electrolux

4.15 mins

A peek at the new products available soon at Electrolux

How-To Know Which Knife to Use

1.15 mins

It's important to know your knives

How-To Use A Coffee Press

1.00 mins

It's so easy with a coffee press

Alor Curry Mee -- “Okay, we only have an hour for dinner before we have to get back…

Hiestand Bakery -- This little bakery is just the kind of place that is packed with delicious…

Kak Laily Nasi Ayam Original -- It's hard to find halal nasi ayam hawkers that has been serving 'kai…

Bagan Lalang Seafood -- Bagan Lalang is a great place to relax, unwind, enjoy some fresh sea…

Kak Som -- You know the defining moment in Ratatouille? When Anton Ego the food…

Jarrod & Rawlins Dine for Charity -- News : Jarrod and Rawlins officially announced its charity…

Electrolux: A Glimpse of the Future -- New Launches : Electrolux kicked off the 2010 edition of their annual…

Meeting Laura Calder -- News : The sweet and lovely Laura Calder from AFC’s ‘French…

More Gastro News ›

The Last Polka Ice Cream -- Product Review : The one major gripe I have about good ice cream here…

Bialetti Moka Coffee Pot -- Product Review : Coffee drinks can be a bit expensive to have at cafés…

Maggi Goes Healthy with Atta Noodles -- Product Review : Maggi will be launching a new line of healthy instant…

More Gastro Stuff ›

Food, Trucks & Carts in New York -- Global Foodster : Sharing some experiences from the 4th Annual New York…

Durian Origami -- Design Delish : This project started when our new intern The Charlie…

Shuck and Suck ‘em -- Encounters : Shuckers ready? Suckers puckered? Grab an oyster. Loosen…

More Foodsters' Blog Entries ›

Craving for clam chowder : I've never been really satisfied… -- August 01, 2010 : 10:07 am

Tipping in restaurants for better service : I used to work in F&B;group.. the… -- August 01, 2010 : 10:05 am

Nasi Kerabu in KL/PJ : You can try Che Nah nasi kerabu,… -- August 01, 2010 : 09:55 am

Where is everybody? : we seem to get a lot more kemeriahness… -- July 25, 2010 : 07:01 pm

Kopi Luwak : -- July 22, 2010 : 07:12 pm