Monitor Lizard Mi Hoon : A Delicacy

Biawak satay, Java (Google)

Monitor Lizard, Caada Hill, Miri

1/2 kg monitor lizard in Sibu

" Monitor lizard tastes just like chicken, if not better!! " my friend told me recently. He had been working in timber camps for almost all his life and ate almost every thing in the ulu.

In recent times, Java is famous for biawak satay and fried water monitor. Javanese medicine men even promote biawak soup as a cure for skin diseases.

This brings to mind my father's venture into the shooting of snakes and monitor lizards in Pulau Kerto. My father was quite a good shot. 

Once during a very high tide and my mother was heavily pregnant, she heard the ducks and chickens making a lot of noise just after dinner while she was washing the dishes at the back of the kitchen in Hua Hong Ice Factory. So she called my father and asked him to check. It was almost dark.

He went down but without his gun to check.

He found a huge python in the chicken coop. He came up to fetch his gun and soon a shot ran out.

Upon hearing the gun shot, the Iban workers came running to see what was happening in the manager's house.

It was a python of about 15 feet long.

My father told the workers to take away the python. They were so happy with their prize and they must have had a big feast after that.

Monitor lizards loved to come for our chickens and ducks too. But they would come around noon or about 5 in the evening during low tide.

There were a few times my father shot at them. They were faster runners. 

Whenever my father killed a monitor lizard he would ask the neighbours to come and cook with my mother.

Monitor lizard cooked with mi hoon was a delicacy. My great grandfather used to tell every one that drinking soup of monitor lizard was good for our skin.

A fairly big monitor lizard would make enough mi hoon for more than 20 people.