January 15, 2010

Just So Real and Organic Food on the Sarawakian side of Sirikin

Sago worms "We cut the sago palm and allow the trunk to decay. If the worms develop they develop - there is no telling. Sometimes we do not get the worms at all." You can eat them raw too if you like.

Engkabang or illipenut fruit. Buah kabang.

closeup of engkabang.

Pineapple shoots (from the plant after you take the fruit at the top) Nice for stir fry.


Banana flowers.


Yam shoots which is good for stir fry.



Lemang or glutinous rice cooked in bamboo. New recipe : glutinous flour with brown sugar and coconut milk cooked in bamboo. It is like a good chinese new glutinous rice sticky cake or nien gao!! Now I will use these two words together:"almost exactly".



A must have : glutinous rice steamed in pitcher plants : simply delicious. Buy the ones with two peanuts at the top from the lady towards the end of the row on the right side as you drive in from Kuching. She is good!




two peanuts in glutinous rice.



torch ginger

The hawkers selling the food and vegetables and baskets are very l Malaysia ...Ibans and Malays and Bidayuhs. Surprisingly the Chinese who have intermarried with the locals are very comfortable with the language and lifestyle.

Several of the hawkers arrive in Hilux and unloaded their products indicating that they are earning a good living. Almost every one owns a handphone. But it was pleasant to see them sharing homecooked breakfast as they waited for their customers to arrive. Very cordial indeed.




8 comments:

Daniel Yiek said...

First time that I see food in pitcher plants. Very wasteful though for the plant

Ensurai said...

Hi Daniel
This pitcher plant pulut or zhongzi seems to be very popular and has become quite a tourist attraction. Found in Sabah too.

Also the pitcher plant has been used by the indigenous people for many decades in the past to cook their rice in. so it is nothing new to them.

Besides pitcher plants grow as quickly as bamboo. It is only us Townies who are not so used to seeing pitcher plants.

Do you know that pitcher plants actually grow from the tip of the leaves?

Ah Ngao said...

hows the taste of engkabang fruit?

Ensurai said...

Hi Ah Ngao

Haven't tasted it myself. Heard you can just fry it with some ikan bilis...a friend says that it is nutty.

Can cook with some meat too especially wild boar.

cheers.

Bengbeng said...

how do we cook the banana flower? really enjoying this Sirikin series but i agree with Daniel about the pitcher plant though

Ensurai said...

Hi Bengbeng

I will be featuring later on how I cook the banana flowers (jantung pisang).

One pitcher plant can have 30 pitchers in the ulu!!

Anonymous said...

Hi there
I love these pictures. Haven't been to Sirikin myself.

Justin

Ensurai said...

Hi Justin

thanks for visiting. Glad you like the photos....

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