Langkawi Chronicles: Beronok Breakfast

Game on!

On a whim, I decided it would be fun to sample the local delicacy 'Beronok' as fresh as it could be had, raw.

Woke up, got ready and drove to the wet market and snatched a small bag for 3 Ringgit. Thought that it was ridiculously cheap, but my colleagues who are locals thought that it was a tad expensive (Really?). I got a total of 27 sausages for it, which works out to 11.11 sens a Beronok.

Got to the kitchen, unloaded the pack and boom!

Barrel-o-Beronoks!

This thing is edible? Really? Errr... Okay.

 They are said to be a similar life-form to the Sea Cucumber, and yes, just as ugly! To prepare it for consumption, you slit the belly open and rinse out all the gungy bits and mud (scraping it with a knife works well).

The Beronok is a bottom feeder ingesting bits of food found
in the sandy/muddy seabed, so yeah, slimy gross insides.

Rinse the whole thing under running water and toss it in a colander. Try not to leave it in liquids as it will quickly lose moisture by leaching its own juices. Slice the thing up into thin rings (for older, firmer specimens) or fingers (for younger, tender specimens) and use it as needed.

Generally locals do not have it cooked in any way due to massive shrinkage brought about by moisture loss, so it is eaten raw, or tossed as an ingredient in a Kerabu or Urap.

I have had Beronok (Kerabu style) and Sea Cucumber (Stewed with Shrooms, Chinese Style) in the past, but never raw like this, so it was a little weird, being watched by 2 Beronok-eating colleagues, as I took a big bite out of another one I cut into 2.

(o_O)  ......... Eewwwww.

Perhaps having it Sashimi style would be wonderful.

A dash of Kikkoman soy sauce and Wasabi.

To be fair, I guess, I was a tad put off by the ugly appearance of the creature itself and the fact that it was still alive after I slit open the belly! Despite the interesting looking innards. there was no off odours at all, which was a relief, just a faint murky seawater/squid like aroma.

Beautiful briny bites!

Biting into it was the biggest joy and surprise, it was at once briny fresh and clean tasting. Its texture squarely between the resisting crunch of jelly fish and the density of Ika (cuttlefish) Sashimi. In fact the flavour too, is closest to Ika, complete with the slightly gelatinous finish.

So,the next time you come to Langkawi, give Beronok a try. Cultural experience and all that!