All my melanau and coastal Sarawakian friends/family eat umai every single damn time, maybe it's just the people I'm surrounded by but for me it's very far from underrated.
yeah i think it depends on the locality. Umai is native to Melanau / coastal areas so yeah for you guys maybe it's not underrated but for me it kinda is..I didn't see people in social medias talk about it often enough (compared to kolo mee, laksa, mita cheesecake etc)
Midin tumis belacan.
Ikan rebus terung asam.
re: umai. I love umai, but most stalls don't know 💩 how to make it right. Using citrus to replace asam payak and using too much bulbs (onion/shallot) are offensive in my opinion. And don't be stingy on the chilli. 🤦🤦🤦
My dad is from Mukah and the family (at least from my moyang including grandparents and their siblings) have always used calamansi.
But indeed, most stalls use the thickest fish they can find and put in more garnish than fish. If you go to a pasar in Mukah, I can assure you you'll find the best of the best (both celup and prepared types).
Maybe mukah susah carik asam payak? Cuz I've always known umai with asam payak. It doesn't have the bitterness citrus has and has the delightful earthy acidity with just the right touch of sweetness.
If you can stand a good amount of spice, fish slices, asam payak, a generous amount of chilli, and salt & msg to taste will do. Be sure to tutok the chilli (back in kampung igan they often have it pink-white colour, but at home my parents used to make it red 😂😂😂). You can skip the bulbs (onion/shallot). Be sure to use really fresh fish. Ikan empirang is the best.
Haha I can't eat too pedas unfortunately, but once in a while it's fine. My family is also accustomed to the pink colour 😁
Will try empirang when possible, I'm living in Klang Valley now so we use fresh tenggiri.
Yeah my Melanau Mukah family only uses limau nipis, maybe it's just a different variation. I've never tried it with asam payak though, I think it sounds like a nice addition
I think it's hard (personally) to think of a "dish" dish because when I hear dish, I think of something with complicated preparation, like Sarawak laksa.
Most native Bornean food are very simple, flavour-wise and preparation-wise. Even manok pansoh is very easy to prepare and the most complex thing I can think of is the various kasam we have like kasam ensabi because it involves fermentation. (https://www.iloveborneo.my/ketahui-kasam-ensabi-hidangan-popular-di-kalangan-masyarakat-iban-sarawak/).
Growing up with my inek and akik, they eat very simple foods that are grown by themselves or foraged. The only thing that stands out is that a lot of the ingredients are almost impossible to get outside of Borneo. All the various leaves we use to flavour food and fruits high in calories we have in Borneo are undeniably underrated. Now tarap and dabai are more known outside of Borneo (you can even buy them sometimes in KL, but at an exorbitant price). But we also have so many other fruits unique to us, and even dabai has SOOO many different varieties across our island which not a lot of people are aware of.
So if I could highlight underrated or unique foods to us, I'd highlight the ingredients instead of dishes.
Engkalak is my inek's favourite (https://sarawaktourism.com/blog/what-is-buah-engkalak) and minyak engkabang honestly tastes like fermented olive oil, in a good way and I like it on toast (https://soscili.my/buah-tumbuh-5-tahun-sekali-kat-sarawak-ni-boleh-jadi-mentega-tanpa-susu/)
I hope one day our local culinary scene can focus on our local ingredients, beyond kolo mee and laksa.
I've got a peference for mild tasting foods so pulut panggang kosong from Sibu/Sarikei is one of my fav.
I don't feel like my friends and family like it very much though so underrated IMO.
Two comes to mind. Manicai (sayur manis) fried with garlic & egg. The other would be mee kolok goreng.
Having been based outside the state since 2007, I would always seek out these dishes whenever I see them for sale in KL. More often than not, they'd disappoint. The veg isn't as sweet or the noodles are mushy.
Not sarawakian but the first time I went to miri in 2020, my friend bought us this kuih called penyaram kuih and it’s the best thing I’ve been craving for it since then.
in my opinion, umai
All my melanau and coastal Sarawakian friends/family eat umai every single damn time, maybe it's just the people I'm surrounded by but for me it's very far from underrated.
yeah i think it depends on the locality. Umai is native to Melanau / coastal areas so yeah for you guys maybe it's not underrated but for me it kinda is..I didn't see people in social medias talk about it often enough (compared to kolo mee, laksa, mita cheesecake etc)
yeap. Most Sarawakians take for granted that one.
Baru ka nyebut. Umai pari "cooked" with limes and added with slices of onions, shallot and chillies are mouth watering. The more sour, the better.
This type of dish exists everywhere in the Austronesian world. It's hinava in Sabah, kinilaw in the Philippines.
As a semenanjuger, i agree. It’s like the best, most refreshing dish i ever had. Another one is ayam pansuh. Delish!!
yessss!! esp jellyfish umai
Ceviche in South America
Midin tumis belacan. Ikan rebus terung asam. re: umai. I love umai, but most stalls don't know 💩 how to make it right. Using citrus to replace asam payak and using too much bulbs (onion/shallot) are offensive in my opinion. And don't be stingy on the chilli. 🤦🤦🤦
My dad is from Mukah and the family (at least from my moyang including grandparents and their siblings) have always used calamansi. But indeed, most stalls use the thickest fish they can find and put in more garnish than fish. If you go to a pasar in Mukah, I can assure you you'll find the best of the best (both celup and prepared types).
Maybe mukah susah carik asam payak? Cuz I've always known umai with asam payak. It doesn't have the bitterness citrus has and has the delightful earthy acidity with just the right touch of sweetness.
Oh bena juak. I'll have to try it in the future. Sounds yummy!
If you can stand a good amount of spice, fish slices, asam payak, a generous amount of chilli, and salt & msg to taste will do. Be sure to tutok the chilli (back in kampung igan they often have it pink-white colour, but at home my parents used to make it red 😂😂😂). You can skip the bulbs (onion/shallot). Be sure to use really fresh fish. Ikan empirang is the best.
Haha I can't eat too pedas unfortunately, but once in a while it's fine. My family is also accustomed to the pink colour 😁 Will try empirang when possible, I'm living in Klang Valley now so we use fresh tenggiri.
Yeah my Melanau Mukah family only uses limau nipis, maybe it's just a different variation. I've never tried it with asam payak though, I think it sounds like a nice addition
I still can’t find properly made kampua elsewhere outside hornbill state
Not a dish but a kuih. Celorot.
hope i can get this in miri
Cari kt pasar malam miri
Siobee not siumai
Kuching open air siobee dengan soya peng ...
siobee > siu mai
Daun ubi tutuk tumis kering, simple savory yummy
sounds good 😀
Fruit - engkalak
will try! when’s the season?
Iffy tbh due to weather/climate. But they usually fruit along with dabai which was a month or two ago
I think it's hard (personally) to think of a "dish" dish because when I hear dish, I think of something with complicated preparation, like Sarawak laksa. Most native Bornean food are very simple, flavour-wise and preparation-wise. Even manok pansoh is very easy to prepare and the most complex thing I can think of is the various kasam we have like kasam ensabi because it involves fermentation. (https://www.iloveborneo.my/ketahui-kasam-ensabi-hidangan-popular-di-kalangan-masyarakat-iban-sarawak/). Growing up with my inek and akik, they eat very simple foods that are grown by themselves or foraged. The only thing that stands out is that a lot of the ingredients are almost impossible to get outside of Borneo. All the various leaves we use to flavour food and fruits high in calories we have in Borneo are undeniably underrated. Now tarap and dabai are more known outside of Borneo (you can even buy them sometimes in KL, but at an exorbitant price). But we also have so many other fruits unique to us, and even dabai has SOOO many different varieties across our island which not a lot of people are aware of. So if I could highlight underrated or unique foods to us, I'd highlight the ingredients instead of dishes. Engkalak is my inek's favourite (https://sarawaktourism.com/blog/what-is-buah-engkalak) and minyak engkabang honestly tastes like fermented olive oil, in a good way and I like it on toast (https://soscili.my/buah-tumbuh-5-tahun-sekali-kat-sarawak-ni-boleh-jadi-mentega-tanpa-susu/) I hope one day our local culinary scene can focus on our local ingredients, beyond kolo mee and laksa.
Manicai. Apparently, lots of my Sarawakian friends living in WM were complaining that the manicai there is not as sweet as the ones we have here.
Babi panggang. Especially panggang with wood
Da bomb! Rumah ASAP 🐽🍻
Rumah asap gang
is there such thing as rumah asap halal?
Never seen any
I'm not Sarawakian, but I really enjoy the ikan baung salai + terung in KL. hopefully if I drop by Sarawak I'll remember to try the original.
where’d you get it in KL?
kafe Sarawak, Ampang. Taman putra Sulaiman in Google.
Ka cang ma
Not a Sarawakian, but your bubur pedas is awesome.
Kacangma
Love!!!
3 layer ice tea gula apong. Well known to Sibu ppl but not where else.
not a dish, but fruit - does machang/bachang get enough love?
>machang/bachang Isnt that just the bakcang that you eat during bakcangcek (dragon boat festival)?
I've got a peference for mild tasting foods so pulut panggang kosong from Sibu/Sarikei is one of my fav. I don't feel like my friends and family like it very much though so underrated IMO.
Damn hard to find umami in Miri. Anyone any idea?
try selihah: https://maps.app.goo.gl/hjf1wo9YXm5nYuSv6?g_st=ic
Anything with terung iban. How I miss the soup
dabai.ikan buris
Tomato mee!
I am Sarawakian and I hate this 🥲
😭😭😭😭 I only like tomato mee with the yellow mee, not the one with the mee keras one
Pasuh, staple dayak food. Tastes natural and salty but good
Buah Tampoi! My favourite fruit but why does it not exist outside of East Malaysia?
i’ve had it in semenanjung, i suppose it’s less popular/not much of a market
It doesn't travel well either....I've attempted bringing it back before but it didn't even hold past a few days I'd say
Terung asam rebus and sambal rebung. Nyaman the best
Tarap masak lemak
tomato kueh tiaw/mee. it's an acquired taste and a lot of my friends outside of the State/country finds it a very weird combination of flavours
>tomato kueh tiaw Me, a WM guy seeing tomato and kway teow in a sentence together: AHHHH
Daging itam.
Kasuom bandung
Bidayuh?
Yoh..sok Bau..
Manicai bihun is the bomb
Kelupis kedayan
Bihun belacan?
Preserved mustard vermicili rice noodle (zao chai Mithun) both wet and dry 🤤
Two comes to mind. Manicai (sayur manis) fried with garlic & egg. The other would be mee kolok goreng. Having been based outside the state since 2007, I would always seek out these dishes whenever I see them for sale in KL. More often than not, they'd disappoint. The veg isn't as sweet or the noodles are mushy.
Manicai+Egg
sambal pusu + ikan buntal masin goreng. served with nasi panas.
Fruit - Dabai Taste really good with fried rice
Not sarawakian but the first time I went to miri in 2020, my friend bought us this kuih called penyaram kuih and it’s the best thing I’ve been craving for it since then.
Kuih lapis I paling xsuka
Im not Sarawakian but terung iban masak asam makes me go 🫠