10 Heavenly Sarawakian Food to Try!

Sarawak, Ibu Pertiwiku, is the land of hornbills and four-wheel drives. While we do not live in trees as most west Malaysians often ask, we do have amazing food and exotic fruits that are hard to find anywhere else. Here are some that you can try!

1. Laksa Sarawak

Laksa Sarawak has a pretty different taste compared to other State's laksa. Laksa Sarawak's broth is usually made up of a mixture of sambal belacan, sour tamarind, galangal, lemongrass, coconut milk and other herbs and spices. It is served with shredded chicken, prawn, egg strips, bean sprouts and lime.

This is my personal favourite!

2. Kolo Mee or Kampua Mee

This mee is often served with sliced meat. Originally this dish is not halal as it is served with meat pork. However, Sarawakians thought of a way so that everyone can have a taste of this delicious dish! Therefore, instead of using pork meat, this dish is served with chicken slices or beef slices. 

3. Kacangma

Kacangma is originated from a traditional confinement dish for women but eventually became more popular craved by men and non-pregnant women as well. It is chicken prepared with a type of herb, lots of ginger and cooking wine (optional) 

4. Mani Chai with Eggs

Mani Chai (Sauropus androgynus) or simply Cangkuk manis is a sweet shrub or leafy vegetable that often get sidelined in West Malaysia. It is mostly used only as a condiment for Pan Mee in the Klang Valley but it is, however, a main dish and local favorite in Sarawak. It is often cooked with mee hoon (rice vermicelli)

5. Dabai

Dabai is a cheap and delicious snack that is usually available around Durian season. It is an exotic fruit that looks like black olive and can be bought from native markets in Sarawak. Dabai can be used to cook various dishes including fried rice but is more often eaten plain, lightly salted or with sweet sauce. The yellowish flesh is creamy and has a soft prune-like texture.

6. Tomato Fried Noodle

The Kuching mee or tomato fried noodle is another mouth-watering Sarawakian noodle that probably deserves more hype than its getting.The egg noodle is deep-fried and covered with thick tomato based broth with runny eggs, slices of chicken and some greens. A different variation uses Kueh Tiao (flat noodles). The condiments may differ between stalls with the most expensive variation uses gigantic prawns and squid. 

7. Buah Tarap

People usually mistaken this buah with Cempedak. Buah Tarap is an exquisite seasonal fruit available in both Sabah and Sarawak. Whilst it is not as pungent as the Durian, it is also not allowed on board a plane, which is a huge disappointment. 

8. Buah Bambangan

On the outside, this unique fruit looks like a mature or brown coconut while the insides looks like a juicy mango except for the excessive fiber in its flesh. This fruit is also known as the wild mango and is closely related to mango species. 

9. Layered Cakes

Sarawak is famous for its layer cake or Kek Lapis. The layer cake comes in so many different flavors and patterns that it is hard to pinpoint a single most delicious cake. This cake is expensive because of the hard work and time consuming method of baking the cake layer by layer. Skilled ‘layer cake artists’ often design beautiful patterns into the cake to captivate fan boys and girls with its craftsmanship and vibrant colors.

10. Ayam Pansuh

Ayam Pansuh merupakan hidangan yang biasanya dihidangkan oleh masyarakat Iban  di Sarawak, Malaysia. Ianya  merupakan sejenis masakan iaitu  ayam dimasak di dalam buluh bersama bahan-bahan  dengan sedikit air (yang kemudiannya akan menjadi sup), perasa dan ditutup dengan pucuk ubi kayu. Pucuk ubi ini kemudian boleh  dihidangkan dan dimakan bersama-sama dengan ayam serta nasi. Ayam Pansuh ini merupakan hidangan utama semasa  perayaan kaum Iban dan Bidayuh di  Sarawak.