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Archive for July 2014
Contrary to West Malaysian food, Sarawak cuisine is less spicy, lightly prepared and subtle but nice in taste. Due to its geographic location, fresh seafood and natural plants such as turmeric, lemongrass, ginger, lime and tapioca leaves are sparingly used in the East Malaysian cuisine. These ingredients are not only easily available, they provide another aromatic dimension, texture and freshness to the delicacies.
Ayam Pansoh is a famous cooking method of the Sarawakians, where the chicken is cooked in bamboo and stuffed with water, seasonings, ginger, lemongrass and bay leaves. The bamboo is said to impart a distinctive and delicate taste to the food while sealing in the flavours and producing tender pieces of chicken meat. The fragrant of lemongrass and ginger were essential in making the chicken different from the rest, and it is best to be eaten with rice cooked with Bamboo as well. This is a dish apparently originating from the Ibans.
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| ayam pansuh |
Umai Udang is a raw prawn salad dish where the prawns are marinated in vinegar, chilli, lime, ginger and lemon grass. Umai is a famous dish among the ethnic Melanaus, and is a traditional lunch for the fishermen due to its simple method of preparation that can be done on the boat itself. The salad was incredibly sour and spicy, perfect for an appetizer.
The unique in Sarawak. If you try only one unique, local food in Kuching, make it midin. Pronounced “mee deen”, midin is a green jungle fern that grows in Sarawak. Apparently this particular fern only grows on the island of Borneo. Unlike other greens that get soft when cooked, midin remains crunchy giving it an enjoyable texture.The natives would pluck the top section of the fern and sell them at the local jungle produce market.
The thin, curly shoots are a delicious and healthy alternative to noodles and rice. Midin is often stir-fried with garlic, ginger, or optionally shrimp paste and chili.
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| Midin |
One of the famous food in Sarawak is the local Sarawak laksa is a creamy, spicy, local variation of Malaysia’s ubiquitous soup-noodle bowl. Jumbo prawns, fresh lime, and coriander lend a unique flavor to the broth which is thicker than that found in most noodle bowls heavy but delicious. The noodles are usually made from thin vermicelli
Last but not least, for something with a sweet twist, Kek Lapis is a local favourite – an elaborately baked cake with multiple and colourful layers that is not only a feast to the eyes but to the palate. The Sarawak Layer cake is often baked during the cultural or religious occasions, birthdays and weddings. This cake has a firm texture with perfectly-spaced layers and a lightly sweet taste
Have you been to Cameron Highlands? It is one of the tourist attractions in Pahang.Cameron Highlands offers daily temperatures averaging between 17 to 23 degrees Celsius.Here are some best things to do in Cameron Highlands.
Strawberry is a delight by itself, but when one hand-picks strawberry from the farm, the exprience is indeed thrilling and delightful. There are numerous strawberry farms around Cameron Highland, however, one that stood out was the " Big Red Strawberry" farm in Brinchang. Not only were the strawberries in abundance, the farm ambiennce is quite nice and the strawberry delights offered at the farm resturant will tempt the most discerning.
The name Rose Valley is quite misleading as the place is more of a rose nursery. However, it is worth the visit to explore different varieties of rose flowers and some other flower species.
Situated in Brinchang ,there are various tea plantations within Cameron Highland, however, the one that stands out is the Boh Tea plantation in Birchang said to be the largest tea plantation in South East Asia. Not only is the drive breathtaking (you enter a different world all-together), the trip includes visit to the tea factory with a free guided tour and an opportunity to taste / buy tea at their terrace restaurant.
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| tea plantation |
Another plantation which is the Bharat Tea plantation. It is worth taking a brief stop-over and taste different types of teas in their tea plantation. Here too you can visit the factory as well as the plantation.
Tanah Rata is the heart of Cameron Highlands. The town has developed as a tourist town where you can find long-distant bus station, taxi station, local restaurants or coffee shops (even a starbuck), accommodation from backpack inns to luxury resorts, travel agencies, gas stations, convenience shops and etc in here. This could be a great place to start if you do not have own transportation.Many Malaysians have built or owned properties in this part of the town for family retreat or renting out to tourists for short-term and long-term stay.
For a break from tea, strawberries, vegetables and flowers, you may check the Lata Iskandar Waterfall, a small but picturesque waterfall on the way out the Cameron Highlands, past Ringlet in the direction of Tapah. It is a small waterfall and it takes little time to visit unless you want to indulge into taking a dip in the cool water, thing that appears to appeal to many, especially teens and children. It is a very busy spot on Sunday.
You must visit Cameran Highlands Night Market on weekend, starting on Friday night till Saturday and during public holidays. This famous night market also known as Brinchang Pasar Malam and its located near to the Police station. There are so many thing to see, buy, eat and have a good exercise because you might need to walk as your car or bus be parking far away from the night market.
Cameron Highlands is the leading producer of fresh flowers in Malaysia. Most of the flower nurseries are centered around Bertam Valley and all along the way from Brinchang to Kg.Raja.
At the flower gardens and nurseries, be dazzled with the mix of colors and species being grown here. The common flowers grown here are roses, carnations,chrysanthemum, dalia, geranium, fuschia and gladioli. You can buy cheap flowers at these nurseries or any market around the highland.
Gawai Dayak Festival is a religious and social event celebrated annually in Sarawak on 1 June in the longhouses of lowland tribes in Sarawak. The word “Gawai” means a ritual or festival whereas the word “Dayak” is used as a collective name for the native ethnic groups of Sarawak: Iban, Bidayuh, Kenyah, Penan and so on.
This harvest festival, gives thanks to the gods and spirits for the bounty of the land; marks the ending of the harvesting season and the starting of the new planting season. With centuries of tradition behind it, this native ritual involves communication with the spirit world, ancestral worship and feasting with friends and family of the whole community.
The mode of celebration is merry making with traditional delicacies like “penganan” (cakes from rice flour, sugar and coconut milk) and usually rice wine (tuak) is served.
Longhouses welcome the celebration by laying new mats on the open gallery which runs through the entire length of the longhouse. The celebrations starts in the evening of May 31 with a ceremony called “Muai Antu Rua” (casting away of the evil spirit of greediness) which signifies non interference of the spirit of bad luck in the celebration.
Then a winnowing basket (chapan) would be dragged past each family’s room. Every family will throw unwanted stuff into the basket. The unwanted stuff will be tossed to the ground from the end of the longhouse for the spirit of bad luck.
In the evening around 6 o’clock, the offering ceremony (miring) will take place. Ritual music (“gendang rayah”) is performed. The chief will lead the ceremony with a sacrificed cockerel and smear blood over these offerings as a symbol of good harvest, blessings and long life.
While waiting for the dinner to be served at midnight, the people will gather and mingle among themselves till the gong is sounded at midnight. Dinner is then served with traditional cakes and delicacies and home made rice wine (tuak) to the gods of rice and prosperity.
The highlight is the drinking of the rice wine led by the chief of the long house. Rice wine (“Ai Pengayu”) symbolised long life. Greetings of “Gayu-guru, Gerai nymai” which means long life, health and prosperity are exchanged among the people in the longhouse.
A procession up and down the gallery (“ruai”) is held from one end to the other end to welcome the spirits (“Ngalu Petara”). The celebration is made livelier by the sounds of gong and traditional music is played with a lot of dancing. Other activities may include cock-fighting, demonstration of blowpipe skills and ngajat competitions.
The unique dance “ngajat” is a form of entertainment which involves a lot of precise body turning movements. The “ngajat” for men is more aggressive and depicts a man going to war and the woman’s form of “ngajat” is softer and more graceful.
In the longhouses, there is a practice called “masu pengabang” where guests will be served with tuak (“masu pengabang”) by the host before they can enter the longhouse.
In the town areas without the longhouse concept, the homes of the Dayaks have an “Open House” concept such as guests are served with food catered from outside or food cooked at home.Christian Dayaks will attend church mass to give thanks for their good harvests. Gawai Dayak celebration may last for several days.
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| ngajat dance |
The Baba Nyonya community; also known as Cina Peranakan is one of the unique community found in Melaka. This community has existed before the 15th century due to intermarriages between the Chinese traders and local Malays. Their existence and social standing have greatly increased with the marriage of Sultan Mansur Syah with Princess Hang Li Poh from China
The Cina Peranakan mainly resides along Heeren Street (Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock) & Jonker Street in the heart of Melaka city. Their existence could be seen clearly based on their unique house architecture, attire (Kebaya Nyonya & Kasut manik-manik), cooking and language (Bahasa Peranakan).
As you have probably guessed, all the Baba Nyonya Wedding or marriages were arranged marriages. Normally, the elderly will seek the service of a match maker when they feel that their child has come of age to be married.
The match-maker can be a professional match maker (normally has a large network of friends) or he or she might be one of the close relative or friends. As a return for the successful match making service, the match maker will receive a red-packet (with money).
A group of elderly people (from the bridegroom family) will pay the short listed future-daughter-in law’s family a visit. This visit is known as “merisik“ , a custom that you could find both in Malay and Chinese community.
The “merisik“ group is normally headed by the match-maker and a few elderly relatives from the bridegroom (The bridegroom parents will not participate in this “merisik“ visit). The “merisik“ group will inform the girls’family of their intention and to seek approval.They will not talk formally (in normal daily conversations) but talk in a mixture of quatrain or pantun. (Malay influence).
Next is the Chim-pong or the coming-together-of-the-bride and bridegroom ritual. This is when the couple pays homage to heaven; earth and man before a special three-tiered alter called sam-kai. Elaborated preparations can be seen at the alter table. This ritual is very important as the marriage is dully solemnized during this stage.
The bridegroom will only get his first look at his wife when they meet in the bridal chamber.This is the time when the husband is allowed to lift the veil over his wife’s face (the veil needs to be lifted smoothly without dropping it on the floor).
