Bidayuh Traditional Food + Recipes & Drinks

1.TUAK(Rice Wine )


I believe among all the recipes that I posted here, this is the most awaited ethnic recipe. As the recipe and the method of doing rice wine is considered as part of a tradition and tightly guarded secret, I have to apologize in advance that eventhough the ingredients and method posted here are correct, I am not able to inform the amount used as it is what determine a successful and delicious rice wine. I have to do this upon request from the person who gave this info to me. You may find a complete recipe somewhere else and the procedure may look simple, but bear in mind that rice wine making is a very delicate and difficult process, it can take years to master. Not only that, a lot of taboos (pantang) have to be observed in order to produce the perfect rice wine.

Ingredients:
Dry powder compacted yeast (ragi). -Use 2 types. One flat, one round (or just use the flat type)
Rice (here we used glutinous rice)
Coarse Sugar
Water
Ginger (to swab on the container before use)

Optional :
Whisky – to add more power. Man’s rice wine normally will add this. Women’s rice wine is normally sweater.

Method.
1. Pound yeast finely.
2. Soak rice overnight. Cook it as usual. When it is cool, mix with the yeast thoroughly.
3. Keep in an airtight container. Put clean white cloth on top before closing the lid for proper fermentation process.
4. After 2-3 days, check and stir. Close again.
5. After a week or so, cook sugar with water, then pour in the container.
6. After a month, check for the taste. Adjust ingredient if necessary.
7. Strain and keep the wine in a bottle. The remaining fine sediment will go down eventually. Refilter if necessary.

Tips:
1. If it turns sour, add more cooked sugar.
2. If it turns bland, add more yeast.
3. Uncoloured container or a ceramic storage (tempayan seramik) is best.
4. Keep container in a cool, dark place.
5. Store wine preferably in a glass bottle. Plastic bottle can react to the chemical process in a wine.
6. The older the wine, the better it taste.

Taboos:
1. Try not to talk/making too much noise while doing the whole process.
2. Do not telecast to everyone you are making one.
3. Process rice wine when you are emotionally stable.
4. Will add more in the future!

Ayam Masak Kacang Ma

Chicken Kacang Ma (Ka Ciam Ma)

This is not exactly a local exotic food, but it is believed to be of Hakka origin and very unique to Sarawak identity.

Kacang ma is a type of herb and normally consumed during confinement. Kacang ma is very aromatic, bitter and need an acquired taste. I used to hate it when I was little, as I couldn't appreciate the taste of alcohol and its bitterness. However, being absent from home for a long time means I start to miss my mom's cooking that I used to take for granted. Also, lately my cooking and 'tasting' skill has improved tremendously and I am able to modify some cooking based on my own preference.

Ingredient:
1. Chicken
2. Half packet (50mg) of Kacang ma (can be found at supermarket in Sarawak)
3. Young ginger
4. Garlic and shallot if you like
5. Salt
6. White wine (I prefer rice wine/tuak as it has sweet taste)
7. Cooking oil for frying
8. Water



Method:
1. Dry fry the kacang ma on moderate fire for 1/2 min or when it slightly yellowish.
2. Grind/pound the fried kacang ma finely.
3. Pound garlic, shallot and ginger together.
4. Saute the ginger mixture until fragrant on full fire.
5. Add chicken. Stir for a minute than add kacang ma.
6. Add water. Amount depending whether you want it slightly soupy or dry.
7. Add salt and a dash of white wine.
8. Reduce fire. Cover for two minutes. Open cover and stir once in a while.
9. Reduce fire to smallest and dash a liberal amount of white wine or as required.
10. Stir evenly.

And it's done. It's great eaten hot or cold on it's own or with rice, and I can assure you my version above is not bitter at all!

 Sup Ponas

Sup Ponas

Looks can be deceiving. Never under estimate how potent this simple plain-looking soup can be.

The first time I heard about this soup, I was wondering so much how it tasted like. I have no idea at all what was the ingredient and how it looks like, but this soup kept coming up in conversations among my Bidayuh friends whenever we talked about Bidayuh traditional foods.

So I asked for the recipe from a good friend, Anya, and she gladly shared it with me. One look at the recipe, I thought it looks pretty familiar, and I can literally tasted and smell it already just by reading it.

And true enough, when all the ingredient came together in the pot, one memory struck in my mind. It brought me back to the time when I was about 7 years old, I had joined a group of much older ladies who happened to have 'man bijo' (which means cookout in Bidayuh), and it was the first time I had this dish. It was spicy, and the aroma from the lemongrass was heavenly. It was so delicious!! I never forget that wonderful memory..

It was pretty similar to the soup I used for my Sup Sago (Linut/Ambuyat), with the exception that I used additional tempoyak (fermented durian) in that dish.

Ingredient:
2 cloves of garlic
2 stalk of lemongrass
Sambal belacan
(The chillies to put as much as you can tolerate)
Salt to taste
1 cup of grated tapioca/cassava

Optional Ingredient:
Fermented Durian (Tempoyak)
MSG

Tapioca Root

Grated Tapioca

Method:
1. Saute garlic until fragrant.
2. Add in water. Don't forget to lower down your temperature since the pot is very hot, before pouring in the water. Then raise the gas to high to boil the water.
3. Add in lemongrass and sambal belacan. Add in salt.
4. Then add in the grated tapioca bit by bit until the tapioca turn transparent and to required consistency.
5. Serve hot. Enjoy!

 Sup Pansoh Siwuak( chicken )

 

Manok (Ayam/Chicken) Pansuh

Here is the basic recipe for Pansoh (Pansuh).

Ingredient (Marinate) :
1. Meat (Chicken, catfish, )
2. Garlic (pounded rough)
3. Shallot (pounded fine)
4. Ginger (pounded)
5. Turmeric Leaves (cut abt 5-10mm width)
6. Lemongrass (pounded)
7. Salt
8. Cassava/Tapioca Leaves
9. Young bamboo

Optional Ingredient:
1. Turmeric stump
2. Tepus/tipuk
3. MSG
4. Fermented durian (tempoyak)
5. Black pepper
6. Bird's eye chillis
7. Young Galangal (sliced)
8. Daun Bungkang (pls see http://sarawakianaii.blogspot.com/2011/07/daun-bungkang.html)

Method :
1. Before using the bamboo, fill it with water for 1/2-1 hour to clean the inside, and encourage the water to seep in.
2. Marinate all Item 1-8 and Optional Ingredient together, leave some of tapioca leaves to cap the bamboo later on.
3. Emptied the water from the bamboo. Fill it with the marinated meat.
4. Don't compact all meat, let it loose lightly.
5. If you want pansuh soup, add in a cup of water.
6. Capped the bamboo with tapioca leaves.
7. Cook over pit fire-charcoal or log-bamboo stand abt 60-80 degree.
8. Pansuh is cooked if the water start to gurgle at the cap.
9. In case the pansuh is dry type, take note of color changes on the tapioca leaves to determine if it is cooked.
10. To serve, just transfer the meat into a plate.

Sago cooking 

 

Manok (Ayam/Chicken) Pansuh

Here is the basic recipe for Pansoh (Pansuh).

Ingredient (Marinate) :
1. Meat (Chicken, catfish, pork)
2. Garlic (pounded rough)
3. Shallot (pounded fine)
4. Ginger (pounded)
5. Turmeric Leaves (cut abt 5-10mm width)
6. Lemongrass (pounded)
7. Salt
8. Cassava/Tapioca Leaves
9. Young bamboo

Optional Ingredient:
1. Turmeric stump
2. Tepus/tipuk
3. MSG
4. Fermented durian (tempoyak)
5. Black pepper
6. Bird's eye chillis
7. Young Galangal (sliced)
8. Daun Bungkang (pls see http://sarawakianaii.blogspot.com/2011/07/daun-bungkang.html)

Method :
1. Before using the bamboo, fill it with water for 1/2-1 hour to clean the inside, and encourage the water to seep in.
2. Marinate all Item 1-8 and Optional Ingredient together, leave some of tapioca leaves to cap the bamboo later on.
3. Emptied the water from the bamboo. Fill it with the marinated meat.
4. Don't compact all meat, let it loose lightly.
5. If you want pansuh soup, add in a cup of water.
6. Capped the bamboo with tapioca leaves.
7. Cook over pit fire-charcoal or log-bamboo stand abt 60-80 degree.
8. Pansuh is cooked if the water start to gurgle at the cap.
9. In case the pansuh is dry type, take note of color changes on the tapioca leaves to determine if it is cooked.
10. To serve, just transfer the meat into a plate.

Sokot Goreng ( ulat sago/mulong goreng)

 
Stir fried Sago Worm


Honestly, I don’t really eat sago worm (ulat mulong) although I’ve tried it before. I’m a bit put off by the sago/mud smell and it’s fat. The only thing I enjoyed about this sago worm is digging it out from a rotten sago trunk, and see it wriggle in my hand.

However, sago worm is very nutritious food (fatty and lots of carbo). If you ever come across it during your visit in Sarawak, do not miss the chance to try it, at least once in your life. It won’t kill you, I promise. At least you have something to brag about to your friends one day. It can be eaten raw (alive), grill (like satay), or cooked stir-fried.

Here’s the recipe for simple stir fried sago worm.

Ingredients:
Sago worm (alive)
Cooking oil-just enough to saute
Anchovies
Garlic
Ginger
Onion
Bird’s Eye Chillies
Salt to taste

Optional:
Soy Sauce (Kicap Masin)

Method :
1. Pound anchovies, garlic, ginger and bird eye’s chillies separately (coarse).
2. Saute pounded items above until fragrant.
3. Saute onion next.
4. Stir-fried the sago worm briefly, enough to make it stop squirming by the heat.
5. Add a pinch of salt. Add soy sauce if you want.
6. Serve.