Monday, June 27, 2011

Uniquely Sarawak- A Must-Have Food

Somehow today I missed all my favorite food in Sarawak. When you travel to Sarawak, there are a few food or delicacies that you shouldn't missed, or at least try it.


Sarawak Laksa
This a one of the signature dish from Sarawak. It is freshly made vermicelli submerged in a concoction of deliciously thick soup rich in 'santan' (coconut milk) and spices, topped with tasty chunks of prawn, chicken slice and slices of omelets. It finishes with mint leaves with belacan on the side and calamansi limes.

Laksa Sarawak

This mouth-watering delight is a Sarawak original and best-taken piping hot. You have not savored Sarawak until you have tasted Sarawak Laksa. A gastronomical delight that is easily available and served in most coffee shops and hotels. It's price around RM3.50 at normal coffee shops.

Mee Kolok 
Mee Kolok is a of the favorite noodle dish commonly found in Sarawak. It is served throughout the day. Be it  for breakfast, lunch, dinner or supper. It is made of egg noodle, blanched in water that looks like instant noodle and served in a light sauce with some condiments like shredded beef or pork. There are some made to cater for Muslim patrons.

Mee Kolok

The difference with Mee Kolok and Wantan Mee, commonly found in Peninsular Malaysia, is that Mee Kolok is not drenched in dark soy sauce and water is not added to the noodles when served. But the taste is still pretty amazing. All Sarawakians in Peninsular Malaysia will hunt high and low for the original taste of Mee Kolok. A must-try! Price around RM3 to RM3.50 per bowl.

Manok Pansoh
One of the best known Iban dishes is manok pansoh (chicken pansuh). Chicken pieces are cut and stuffed into the bambo together with other ingredients like mushrooms, lemongrass, tapioca leaves etc and cooked over an open fire - similar to the way lemang is cooked.

Manok Pansoh

This natural way of cooking seals in the flavours and produces astonishingly tender chicken with a gravy perfumed with lemongrass and bamboo.

Kek Lapis Sarawak
Sarawak modern layered cakes was said to be commercially introduced to people in Sarawak about 16 years ago. But Kek Lapis Sarawak has been around much longer than that, as it is traditionally the main staple for the Malays as they celebrate Hari Raya Aidil Fitri. It is now famous among Malaysians and provided good income for Sarawakians.

Kek Lapis (layered cake)

The cakes are interesting as it was almost always colourful, sweet and use lots of eggs and kept stored in the refrigerator for six months!

Umai
This is my favorite. Umai is a raw fish salad popular among various ethnic groups of Sarawak, especially the Melanaus. In fact, umai is a traditional working lunch for the Melanau fishermen. Umai is prepared raw from freshly caught fish, iced but not frozen. Main species used include Mackerel, Bawal Hitam and Umpirang.

Umai

It is made mainly of thin slivers of raw fish, thinly sliced onions, chilli, salt and the juice of sour fruits like lime or assam. The lime or assam act as cooking agent. It is usually accompanied by a bowl of toasted sago pearls instead of rice. Its simplicity makes it a cinch for fishermen to prepare it aboard their boats.

Midin
Midin is a jungle fern grown greatly in Sarawak food. The midin (quite similar to pucuk paku that is popular in the Peninsular) is much sought after for its crisp texture and great taste. Midin is usually served in 2 ways -fried with either garlic or belacan and both are delicious!

Mee Suah
Mee Sua is traditionally famous among the Chinese. It's basically a breakfast dish, much like Mee Kolok. It is a variety of rice noodles served with a chicken drumstick in chicken/mushroom clear soup and usually some Chinese white wine.
Mee Suah


Bubur Pedas
A unique signature dish for Sarawak is the Bubur Pedas. Unlike many other porridge that we know, Bubur Pedas Sarawak is cooked with a specially prepared paste. It is quite spicy thanks to its ingredients, which include spices, turmeric, lemon grass, galangal, chillies, ginger, coconut and shallots.

Bubur Pedas

Like the famous Bubur Lambuk of Kuala Lumpur, Bubur Pedas is also prepared most often during the month of Ramadan and served during the breaking of fast.

Tabaloi
The Melanau has their biscuits called Tabaloi, which is a mixture of desiccated coconut, sago and sugar. Tabaloi can easily be bought at most shops. Today, it is produced in several flavour including cocoa and vanilla.

Tabaloi

Bamboo Clam
Another unique dish in Sarawak is ambal or bamboo clam. It is usually cooked in a mild curry or steamed in Chinese wine. Though it looks like worms in a bamboo shell, it is very delicious.

Bamboo Clam

Bird Nest
Bird's nest, a Chinese delicacy touted to maintain youth and beauty, is harvested from designated caves of Sarawak by special permits. The bird responsible for this delicacy is the Swallow. Try a bowl of this jelly-like delicacy at upmarket Chinese restaurants.

Bird Nest Soup
 

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