Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Cuisines of Borneo
Eating in Borneo is never boring. Southeast
Asia's main trade, immigration and colonisation
routes are right nearby, which is why the is-
land's cuisines include dishes from various
provinces of southern China, the Malay parts of
both mainland and island Southeast Asia, and
even southern India - in addition to delicious in-
digenous (Dayak) dishes, based on ingredients that grow wild in the rainforest.
Throughout Borneo, nasi (rice) and mee (noodles) are the staples, and one or the other
makes an appearance at almost every meal, including breakfast. Rice is eaten steamed, as
nasi goreng (fried with other ingredients) and boiled as bubur (sweet or savoury porridge
very popular for breakfast), or glutinous varieties are steamed and moulded into tubes or
cubes and often wrapped with leaves. Noodles, in a variety of widths and thicknesses, can
be made from wheat (with or without egg), rice or mung beans, and are served boiled in
soup (soto or sup) - a Chinese favourite for breakfast - or fried (mee goreng) with other in-
gredients.
In some parts of Borneo, people get their carbs not
from rice or noodles but from starch extracted from
the pith of the sago tree. In Brunei it is served in an
unbelievably gooey form known as ambuyat.
BAMBOO CHICKEN
In many parts of Borneo, a perennial Dayak favourite is bamboo chicken ( asam siok in Bidayuh, pansoh manok in
Iban). To make it, rice, marinated chicken and spices, such as lemon grass, garlic, ginger and chillies are stuffed in-
to a length of bamboo, which is then sealed with turmeric leaves. The resulting cylinder is then cooked near (but
not too near) an open fire, thereby infusing the dish with the delicate aromas of bamboo and turmeric, sealing in the
spices, and ensuring that the meat emerges deliciously tender.
Dayak Cuisines
Borneo's indigenous peoples are remarkably diverse, expressing themselves with a rich
variety of languages, traditions and artistic forms. But when it comes to cooking, they all
 
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