January 4, 2012

Lun Bawang Leaf wrapped soft rice

My friend (who is now a senior banker) comes from the Lun Bawang community hailing from Lawas. Her late brother was a much admired athlete (the late Balang Lasung) and a colleague and great friend of mine too.

From her I learned about how rice is such an important commodity. During festive seasons and /or a special ceremony to bless children etc..the whole community will turn up and each family will bring a basket of rice already cooked and wrapped up in leaves!! How wonderful!!


This is certainly a good community effort to keep the budget of any cerebration small and manageable.




(Photo from G. Mattias)
their basket weaving is very delicate and outstanding.

And the rice is just so delicious because it is grown with great care and on rich mountain soils of lawas. Sharing a packet or two of this special wrapped rice is always a very memorable occasion for me.

A grain of rice is a drop of sweat...and a bit of the soft rice is like sharing love with others!!

May God bless all mothers and aunties who prepare uba layak (the name of the rice packets) in a gotong royong manner!!

(By the way it is not easy to prepare this kind of rice...)

9 comments:

sarawaklens said...

I like the Sarawak highland rice too, very nice!

Ensurai said...

Sarawaklens
the Sarawak highland rice or Bario rice has so far been given the best publicity local rice can ever get thanks to many who are responsible. It is indeed sweet and fragrant. This species (also known as Kanowit wangi according to many) can be grown in the lowlands too...but so far no DNA tests have proclaimed that they are indeed from the same family...so perhaps the rice from Kanowit and Bekenu are close relatives only? These latter local rice has not been packaged and branded for overseas market...

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

Eliza's husband is from bario, my other bro's wife is from Bario. We got to enjoy Bario rice.

Ensurai said...

Hi Ann..I know K. is from Bario..didn't know about the other one! Is he the Anthropologist?

Bario rice is still considered one of the best...Most Chinese like it.

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

My bro Henry is an anthropologist, is advisor to Sarawak forestry. His wife teaches in Kuching.

Ensurai said...

Ah Ann...must ask him how to start a support group for Hornbills....

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