Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
brought to town by Dayak villagers - keep an eye out for
midin
and
paku
ferns and exotic fruits. In larger markets
along the coast, you may spot literally scores of varieties of fish. Sellers are often happy to tell you about their
wares (or at least show them to you), and sometimes offer samples. One stall owner we know once let a tourist
taste every one of the 10 varieties of local banana piled up on his market table!
In Malaysian Borneo, most wet markets have a hawker centre (food stall section) upstairs. Because of Muslim
dietary (halal) rules, Chinese stalls (which serve pork) and Malay stalls are often in separate areas. Night markets
(pasar malam)
open up only in the evening. During Ramadan most Malay food stalls are closed during daylight
hours.
Other places to sample Borneo's incredible variety of dishes are no-frills cafes, sometimes with several
vendors, known as
kopitiam
in Malay-inflected Hokkien Chinese and
kedai kopi
in Bahasa Malaysia (both names
mean 'coffee shop'). Some traditional
kopitiam
open very early in the morning and stop selling food by the early
afternoon. Also look out for food carts. These are known in Kalimantan as
kaki lima
(five legs): two for the pro-
prietor, three for the cart.
Ingredients
Ingredients you're likely to encounter in Dayak cooking - some are also used by Borneo's
Malays and Chinese:
Bamboo shoots
(
puluh
in Kelabit) Made from very young bamboo and often grown in
people's gardens; in the Kelabit Highlands,
puluh
are sliced thin, boiled and then stir-fried
with salt, pepper and small local fish.
Bitter beans
(petai)
Bright green beans that grow in long pods; they appear in dishes such
as
petai gulai kechala
(stir-fried with wild ginger flowers, onions and anchovies).
Cassava leaves
(
pucuk ubi
in Iban) Young leaves are often stir-fried (eg with chicken, or
with anchovies, garlic and onions) and eaten with rice.
Chicken
(
ayam
in Bahasa Malaysia) The tastiest kind comes from the
kampung
(villages)
rather than large-scale commercial producers.
Chili paste
(
bua' ladah
in Kelabit) Extremely hot, this condiment is made with chilli
peppers, ginger, onion, garlic and salt.
Daun bungkang
A leaf that grows on a fruit tree and, like bay leaves, is used to add fla-
vour.
Doray
(in Kelabit) A dark green goop that tastes a bit like spinach, made by boiling a leaf
that grows along river banks with salt; said to be rich in vitamins and especially healthy
for children, who eat it with rice or porridge.
