You’ve seen them in your local Mala Xiang Guo store and the frozen section of your neighbourhood supermarkets. Call them a staple in Singapore’s hawker culture or Singaporean’s favourite processed finger food, whatever it may be, the popularity of cuttlefish and sotong balls cannot be denied.
Made with fresh seafood, gently massaged, and squeezed into a ball that is later pre-cooked in a simmering pot of water, these products of a time-consuming process have somehow found their way into our hearts. But do you know the difference between cuttlefish and sotong? Are their flavour profiles so distinct that you’re able to easily distinguish one from the other? We’ll give you all the information you need to know about these cephalopods, their differences, and where you can find them to whip up a mean meal.
As their names suggest, cuttlefish balls are mainly made from cuttlefish, while sotong balls are made from squid. While both sotong and cuttlefish belong to the same animal class known as the cephalopods and have ten tentacles each, they are two different species. Difference in Taste On the cooking and food side, one of the most commonly asked questions is what they taste like and how do the flavour profiles of squid and cuttlefish differ from each other. Squid has a mild flavour that is close to that of shrimp and lobster. While many may say that squid is tasteless, the truth of the matter is that the meat of the squid does a wonderful job of soaking up butter and sauces well. This means that regardless of your chosen cooking method, be it boiling, braising, grilling or frying, the squid will take in all the delicious goodness of your prepared gravy or batter. However, a slight misstep while cooking, and you'll be left with a chewy and bland rubbery blob in your dish. Cuttlefish, on the other hand, are naturally more flavourful than squid. In its raw state, it has a light egg white and melon-like aroma, and a flavour profile that is full of milky notes. Boasting a sweeter taste when cooked, it offers a more complete mouthfeel with its crisp bite and creamy texture. Its livelier flavour is revered by many and used for many cooking methods. For example, in Asian cultures they are dried and used in stocks and soups for an additional flavour boost. Cuttlefish can also be cooked for longer, making them the ideal choice for stews.
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