Nasi Kuning of Sandakan

The most popular nice recipe in Sandakan, Sabah is the Nasi Kuning, or
yellow rice. It is a version of the Nasi Lemak, but with additional
tumeric to make it look yellow and without the Ikan Bilis(tiny dried
fish).

It tastes better than standard Nasi Lemak and costs just as much,
RM1.50 in Sandakan and much more nourishing because of the larger
amount of fish in the form of portions of larger fishes.

Nowadays the fishes tend to be Tuna(Ikan Kayu) especially popular
among Filipino recent migrants. Locals tend to prefer Ikan
Putih(Travely) and Ikan Merah varieties. Garoupas are not usually
preferred because it is expensive and not as tasty in the recipe used
to accompany this Nasi Kuning, stir fried Fish Sambal.

http://www.fishing.net.my/FORUM/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=6265&whichpage=1

You will have difficulty in finding it in Kota Kinabalu because large
fishes are more expensive in Kota Kinabalu.

If sellers can reproduce the quality of fish accompanying the Yellow
Rice, I'd prefer it over the standard Nasi Lemak but the best rice
recipe that I had ever tried was the Nasi Briani of Shirav Hotel in
the 1980s.

The second best and still operating is the Nasi Briani of Azmeer
Restaurant, at Mile 3, Jalan Utara, Sandakan, especially its mutton
curry. It is also very cheap at RM6 per plate. I've tried a few Nasi
Brianis in Kota Kinabalu but none can match the one at Azmeer
Restaurant.

The third is the Nasi Ayam of Kampung Bahru, Kuala Lumpur. It should
be still operating but I've not managed to locate it since the 1990s.
Normal Nasi Ayam, even at 5 star restaurants cannot match the Nasi
Ayam at that restaurant. As a muslim, I can only eat at halal
restaurants so cannot comment on the Chinese Restaurants except those
that are located at hotels.

The fourth was a Nasi Lemak stall that I tried once somewhere at Chow
Kit, Kuala Lumpur, but I only tried it once. I cannot duplicate this
taste anywhere or anytime after this. It is the special aroma of
pandan and other ingredients in the rice.

Nasi Kuning may not be able to beat the best of the other rice recipes
but at least it is easy to duplicate and produce. It is certainly
better than normal Nasi Lemak that I had tried at stalls and hotels.
The turmeric ensures its unique flavour.

For a picture of this Nasi Kuning, please go to my blogspot
sabahexoticfood.blogspot.com

Dried Prawn of Sandakan

Edited on the 10thMay, 2008. No more on offer at eBay. Too troublesome for international export.

This dried prawn is from Sandakan, the finest in Malaysia. The prawns

or shrimps in Sandakan is well known for its delicious taste when
still fresh. Because small sized prawns fetch a very low price, they
are usually dried.

The process of drying is primitive. Sandakan, despite its large sea
food produce does not have any freeze drying facility. There is not
enough electricity for Sabah in order to set up any heavy industry. It
does not even have enough electricity for residential uses with the
frequent electric power failures.

The fresh prawn is first boiled, before they are sun-dried. It is only
slightly salty unlike the salted dried fish. The salt is used as a
preservative without destroying its prawny flavour.

You can eat it raw because it is already cooked. It is best added to
normal food as though it is fresh prawn in a grounded form.

It may appear that this prawn is just a normal prawn but Sandakan bay
is unique in the world. It makes the prawns taste differently compared
to other parts of Sabah. Conservation efforts is virtually non-
existent. The amount of prawn is getting less and less every year, in
favour of cultured tiger prawns that are less delicious than these
prawns, that we call paper prawns. For example, in West Malaysia,
there is no more dried prawn of this quality. Even at Kota Kinabalu,
only 350 km away, you cannot find it as fresh as this.

Soto Makasar of Kota Kinabalu

This soto Makasar is based on the soto found in Celebes(Sulawesi) but

my colleague cannot find it at Ujung Pandang, the capital of
Sulawesi,which means that this soto or soup, is unique to Sabah.

You can find it at a chinese coffee shop next to Restaurant Melaka, at
Kampung Air, Kota Kinabalu.

At Kota Kinabalu, they give you the option of beef, chicken and cow's
stomach lining. This soto uses ground nut and rice water,which you can
mix with noodles or compacted rice(nasi impit). This is the daughter's
hawker stall.

The original recipe for this is from Sandakan resident who was
formerly from Java island, not Sulawesi. There, they give you more
options, which include more internal organs. Somehow it tastes better
at Sandakan than at Kota Kinabalu.

There are other places offering soto Makasar at Kota Kinabalu but they
don't taste as close to the original as this particular stall.

Sandakan Siagul

Siagul at the left is the one that our family cooks. It's recipe is different from those described in the google search. It is very different from our Filipino neighbours.

My wife does not wish to reveal its recipe to the whole world. It should remain within our family. Hopefully our children should preserve these delicious recipe.

It is cooked from a special type of ray fish. I find it very delicious but Fried Red Durian(Tempoyak) does not go well with it. It is just too creamy.



http://www.google.com.my/search?hl=en&safe=off&q=siagul+food&btnG=Search&meta=

http://72.14.235.104/search?q=cache:yhKcaE_YUqYJ:www.aseanfood.info/scripts/count_article.asp%3FArticle_code%3D13004947+siagul+food&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=my

Ambuyat

http://nutriweb.org.my/recipe/vol2/english/sabah_sarawak/recipe_ss1.php

I've never eaten or even seen any ambuyat but it is spoken often by people at the West Coast of Sabah. I am originally from Sandakan, at the East Coast of Sabah, of the Sulu descent.

Based on my interviews with my colleagues at the office, I am told that Ambuyat originates from the Brunei and Kadayan people. Because it requires sago and the Bisaya people live near an area rich in Sago, Ambuyat is more widely consumed by the Bisayas.

There is no need for any picture attachment because the link given above should give a good picture.

However this picture is not demonstrative of the Ambuyat that I was told. It should be very clear because Sago is starchy. Making it is an art. Not easy for anyone to cook just by reading recipes.

It is best eaten with apap i.e. condensed asam-pedas, of fish such as Basung.

Sago is not easy to find anywhere on earth and it is a dying food. It is difficult to cook this kind of food and the younger generation do not appreciate it as much as western fast food.

Kolopis

It is just steamed glutinous rice soaked in coconut milk, while being wrapped with the Nyarik/Telarik leaf. This leaf is not as delicious as another leaf. Unfortunately I lost those rare leaves, and cannot even tell its name. I first tasted these Kolopis wrapped with the rare jungle leaves, during a religious celebration(Bergunting) at my brother's place a few weaks ago, just after Hari Raya.

I tasted it to be slightly less delicious compared to Lemang, but to many, Kolopis is even more delicious. With that rare leaf, it is more aromatic than the normal Kolopis wrapped with Nyarik leaves. Lemang is wrapped with banana leaf, but its aroma rely on the Bambu Temiang where the glutinous rice is kept when it was grilled. Kolopis is just steamed within the Nyarik leaves.

Kolopis is only found at places to the South West of Sabah. Cannot find much at Papar, only from Beaufort to Sipitang. It is a pity because it is more delicious than the Ketupat, and to some, even Lemang. The problem is its reliance on a non-grown exotic leaves that may become extinct soon.

The recipe:

http://resipirasia.blogspot.com/2011/09/kelupis.html?m=1

Penyaram

Penyaram is popular among my children and I can see more and more places in West Malaysia selling this cake. It may not be obsolete but the skills required to make this cake is difficult to maintain. There is no mould used in shaping the edges.