This is a delicious cookie made of pineapple jam

Sabahan pineapple jam cookie

This is a delicious cookie made of pineapple jam. I can only find it in Sabah. One of the bakeries who bake this cookie is the Khong Guan. I just recently realised it. I cannot get this biscuit in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur but I like it very much. So when I returned to Sabah, my wife will buy it for our food stock.

Ikan sembilang masak ampap hitam

The dish of the Tausug people. In Sabah, we only cook with a particular fish, the ikan sembilang, which is a small saltwater catfish with poisonous fins. 

The Filipino Tausug has a dish called Tiula Itum, which means soup cooked in black, but Sabahan Tausug only uses Tialam Itum, which is a thick gravy with the black appetizer which is actually burned coconut.

Since these Filipino Tausugs had migrated to Sabah since 1970s, and many had settled in Sabah, their dishes will become part of the Sabahan dishes. Unfortunately, I have not tried a true Tiula Itum and I do not have a sample of it.

Once I have come across those dishes, I shall take its photos in 2D and 3D. In the mean time, you can enjoy the dance Tiula Itum, which is a modern adaptation of the Daling Daling dance of Sabah.

Ikan sembilang masak ampap hitam

Acar mentah Sandakan

My family call it acar mentah, but when I look around the internet and recipe books, acar mentah is different from our version of acar mentah. So I call it acar mentah bersantan. It is very delicious if eaten with soya sauce beef. Soya sauce beef is a standard Malay dish and our favourite because it is not hot. Everytime my wife cooks soya sauce beef, she will also cook this acar mentah. So was my mother. Also my other relatives in my villages of Sim Sim and Batu Sapi. I never realised that I cannot find it at Kota Kinabalu.

Sabah exotic food exhibition

These are only a sample of the exotic food in Sabah. I am not able to show in this blog because they do not belong to my family's culture. If I were able to taste and take photos of them, I would like to post it here. Le Meridian buffer dinner, sometimes presents ambuyat  and inava. At Gracepoint food court, you may try some but I myself dare not try because they are for the dusun people. Probably, not to my taste. Inava is different because it is similar to the Japanese raw fish.

http://www.nst.com.my/nation/general/hundreds-head-for-food-fest-1.105586

Hundreds head for food fest

By AVILA GERALDINE | avila@nst.com.my 0 comments

YUMMY ATTRACTION: Sabah's unique delicacies a hit

Lundayeh Association traditional food division committee member Aleace Patrick (left) and Avie Novie Jue Panjan with some ‘biter sadai’ (porridge) and ‘teluh dawi’ (pickled fish) at the food festival in Penampang. Pic by Edmund Samunting

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PENAMPANG: SABAH'S unique delicacies had once again attracted hundreds of visitors to the Traditional Food Festival 2012 here, yesterday.

Hundreds thronged the Penampang sports complex field to sample the diverse selection of local cuisine prepared by various ethnic groups.

Present were Moyog assemblyman and state Finance Assistant Minister Datuk Donald Mojuntin and state Cultural Board (SCB) chairman Datuk Seri Wences Anggang.

The famous butod became one of the favourite attractions as people gathered at the Kuala Penyu booth to have a look at the juicy fat sago worms.

Although this bizarre food is well known among the Sabah people, many are not familiar with the taste because they are not used to eating it.

Sabah Tatana Cultural Association secretary-general Monih Epin said sago worms could be eaten raw, half-cooked or fried.

It could grow as long as five centimetres and as big as a thumb.

"It is actually a beetle larva traditionally prepared by the Kadazandusun, Murut and Tatana, among other ethnic groups.

"Food festivals such as this one is educational for everyone, including the local. It enables them to learn more about our food."

Other traditional food displayed at the six-day festival are teluh dawi (pickled fish), biter (porridge), noonsom (pickled food) and many more.

Donald said the festival was a platform for all Sabah ethnic groups to promote their exotic food thus safeguarding their traditional culture.

Organised by the SCB, he said it was clear that there was a need to elevate the state's unique culture as it was a tourism product that could benefit the people and generate their economy.

"I also hope that this festival will become a cultural meeting point for the people to interact and exchange information in the effort to contribute to the cultural growth."

Read more: Hundreds head for food fest - General - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/nation/general/hundreds-head-for-food-fest-1.105586#ixzz24kOh5JJj