Roots of Lalang Grass

The lalang (Imperata cyllindrica) is a terrible and aggressive weed which have never been a welcome feature of rural farmers' life. It grows very fast and it cannot be controlled. Even the best of weedicide cannot kill it. Once a field of lalang is burnt, it would grow in a matter of weeks.

When our Foochow ancestors came to Sibu, their spirits were dampened by the fast growth of lalang or Huong Chow . Huong here may mean wild, or chaotic.




But its roots are powerful in reducing fever when brewed for one or two hours.

When the Foochow pioneers first arrived they had no medical support and Sarawak government did not even have a clinic in Sibu. Those sinseh who came with them were mainly barefoot doctors who knew only about rustic cures. And among the cures was lalang root.





It is quite tough to harvest the roots because the leaves have sharp edges which can cut our fine skin. And it is very difficult to pull out the roots at the same time. Most of the time, people would changkul the soil and then break up the soil to extract the roots. That would be an easier way without cutting one's arms by the sharp blades of the leaves.

Today we can easily buy the dried roots of the lalang in any Chinese sinseh or medicine shop. Just take a handful and boil it with water. After cooling the brew, just drink it and the fever will be gone.

Simpor - the National Flower of Brunei

The simpor is the national flower of Brunei, our neighbouring country. In Brunei it is illegal to cut down the simpor, so it is best to leave the trees alone.

the simpor has a good trunk which can be used as a pepper vine holder. However the simpor grows easily. When a farmer pushes a stem of simpor into the ground, it would soon sprout leaves!

Simpor leaves are good for farmers and travellers and are always used as plates for rice and food, and also to wrap raw meat and fish. The leaves can be used as a wrapper for fish, for grilling and smoking. They add special flavours to the fish.

Simpor leaves can also be made into hats.

A Brunei Morning Meal

When I first went to Kuala Lumpur to study in the 70's our Sarawak's kolo mee and kampua mee were as alien as kasam babi to the local KL people. So I sort of learned to eat Hokkien Mee - those big black noodles with a good sauce to soothe my nerves. It then became a sort of comfort food for me. I gradually developed a fondness for it as it was a different kind of noodles all together and was definitely special. And true enough after coming back to Sarawak sometimes I crave for it. But very often I could only find pseudo and very unauthentic ones and then I finally gave up eating the stuff unless I was in Kuala Lumpur.

But then of all the places I have been to - believe me - only one place in Borneo has the real Hokkien Mee ala Kuala Lumpur. Big fat soft and black and of the right taste with lots of Chu Yu Char....in Bandar Seri Begawan in a shop tucked away in a market which sells non halal meat. It is a place I call Peaceful Valley Village at Jalan Kelaila.

And best of all one can get many different kinds of breakfasts from almost every Chinese dialect group there in the morning. On the menu you could even order a few Filipino dishes and Vietnamese noodles! Yes there is American BBQ rice too. So if you decide to buy non halal meat you could go there for breakfast on a nice Sunday morning with your family in Bandar. Something good may happen too.

My first visit to this market I got to meet up with my fellow kampong mate from Sungei Merah! As the sun rose in the east and filtered through the shutters I enjoyed the Hokkien Mee and switching back and forth in Foochow and English while other diners spoke in different accents (Filipino - Lun Bawang and Cantonese). For some wonderful moments in time you could imagine that you were back somewhere in time and enjoying your youth as the noodles slipped between your lips and you drink in the salty sweetness of the sauce.

Here his the recipe from a friend who is a KL born Chinese (but not Hokkien):

Ingredients:

500g fat yellow hokkien noodles soak in cold water for a while
2 tbsp chopped garlic
a small chinese bowl of meat (pork or chicken) - cut into thin slices
some fresh prawns, shelled and deveined
one or two squid - cut into bite size (optional)
about half a bowl of pig liver - sliced thinly
Some slices of cabbage
some slices of fish cake
2 or 3 innos of mustard green or yew chai - wash and cut into 1 inch pieces
some pork fat, cut into cubes and fried till crispy (keep the oil)
2 cups stock/water

Seasoning:

1 tsp light soy sauce
2 tsp dark thick sweet soy sauce(add more if not dark enough)
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tbsp sugar


Method:

Season the prawns and squid with a dash of salt, sugar and pepper.

Heat 2 tsp of the lard (from frying the pork fat) and stir fry the garlic until fragrant. Add the soy sauce and let it heat through and then add some sugar to caramelize the sauce. Sautee the squid and prawns quickly. Dish out and leave aside.

Add in another tsp of lard and brown meat, sprinkle in a pinch of salt and pepper to the meat before turning over to brown the other side. Add the cooked prawns and squid.

Add in stock/water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes before adding in the greens.

Then add in the noodles and the seasoning, mix well, cover wok with lid and simmer until noodles is tender. Add more dark soy sauce if the color is not black enough and simmer noodles till gravy is thick.

Add in the cooked prawns and squid and more lard.

Turn the heat to high again and give noodles a quick stir. Add the crispy lard cubes before dishing up the noodles.

(My friend once told me that it is good to serve Hokkien Mee with sambal belacan - and this is true Malaysian fusion cooking.



10 fresh red chillies - cut small
4 chilly padi(optional)
1 sq inch x 1/4 inch thick raw belacan or 2 tsp belacan powder.
a pinch of salt
a pinch of sugar
lime juice from three or four fruits.

Toast some raw belacan until it is dried and fragrant.

Pound the remaining ingredients using a mortar.

Add the lime juice just before eating.

tapak kuda laut

Brunei $20 note with tapak kuda laut

The Brunei currency notes feature flowers selected by the Treasury. The notes are plastic,very slippery and smooth. They often jump from one's feeble hand. They also don't stick together easily.

This $20 note features the pretty purple beach flowers known locally as tapak kuda laut.


It belongs to the same family as the kangkong, this plant is called Goat's Foot or beach morning glory in English.

This plant is found in the upper sandy beaches and can tolerate sea water and sea air.

Being very hardy it protects beaches.

In Australia, it is used by the Aborigines as poultice to cure sting ray and fish stings.

(Note: A superhero Steve Irwin was stung at his heart by a sting ray when he was filming for his tv series. May he rest in peace)

Simon Gelan and Mahindras

The happy people in Brunei, having a nice gathering every now and then with Apai. Simon Gelan sells a lot of Haindras in Brunei.

Poco Poco, singing karaoke, having a good buffet Iban style on a Saturday night. That's great fellowship in a land, far away from home.

Universal Cafe (Seria)

The Universal Cafe in Seria is a place we often stop by on our way to Bandar or Limbang and Lawas or even further Sabah.

It is a very clean place run by a Chinese. The tiles are well scrubbed and what is very interesting is its kitchen which has a good grill and oven (see photo above).

the coffee here is excellent, served in white cups.

The French Toast is excellent served with white sugar.

The half boiled eggs are popular with the community here. And don't miss out the roti kuning.

 More often than not the cafe is always full with people from all walks of life.

Clean and airy cafe.

Very pleasure.

Bruneian Gendang

The Giant Hypermarket in Bandar (DS) has an added attraction this month. A Malaysian Fair complete with good traditional musical bands.

When I was there I saw the Gendang Band having a huge audience...and a few guys came up to dance and sing...

It was a lovely and warm evening...and everyone was friendly. Some how fairs and music just make every one feel good about themselves and each other....

Thanks to the musicians for their fine music and singing...and for allowing me to take their photos!!

Brunei Songket - an actual loom within a shop!!

The Yayasan Buidling of Bandar Brunei Darusalam offers fantastic shopping facilities. But the most wonderful outlet is the mini-songket living museum right at the entrance (facing the river Brunei or Kedayan).

You can't miss it!! Here I have some photos to show you the splendid shop-cum-mini-museum of a living cultural skill!!

A view of the whole loom....

The beautiful loom for songket making....a legacy of women of olden days....

Beautiful threads...slowly turning into a beautiful piece of Songket...the pride of Brunei.

The skilful young lady and her loom...this may take her three months to finish.

Modern hand made silk  products from local people as well as foreign countries.

Lovely embroidery for the neck of the traditional Baju Kurong/kebaya..Hand made this costs a bomb and especially prepared for a wedding!!

Lovely view of the outside from the shop!!

Another shot of the loom...and the wooden threading wheels - isn't women's weaving skills amazing? And this has been with us for perhaps 20 generations or more??!

Food Covers - Brunei Style

The first food cover is the type of rattan food cover most Asians and world travellers are familiar with. The second picture shows my own food cover which was made by the Ibans of Durin . You can easily buy this family size food cover "below the Durin Bridge" of Sibu. I am still using it after more than 30 years. Rattan is a good natural material which lasts.

In Brunei the famous "tudung dulang" or rattan food covers catch the tourists' eye immediately.
These must be the most colourful food covers in Asia!! Today the tudung dulang makers are making more colourful ones than ever because they have better materials to choose from and locals are more affluent.

Tudung means cover in Bahasa Malaysia. Dulang means basin. So this food cover actually means a food cover that looks like a basin.

They are definitely a good buy to bring home after a visit to Brunei as a souvenir. According to a local historian the art of weaving (of rattan/bamboo/mengkuang and biru leaves) may be a dying skill since all girls are going for higher education and very well paid jobs. Only the older generation are now making them (not only as a hobby but for sale) in Kampong Ayer (Water Village). Besides homes are now better equipped and flies are "blocked" out by mosquito netting for the windows. So on one hand the food covers are not so necessary now and on the other hand plastic food covers are conveniently available very cheaply in supermarkets and ordinary supply shops!!

It would be a pity really if the art of tudung dulang disappears from the cultural scene.

Many would think that these are hats hanging from the beams in the Kianggeh Market of Bandar (Darusalam). You can ask if you could have one made to order but it takes time and you might move on to another part of the world. However do not be disappointed if your order is not exactly what you thought you have drawn. The tudung dulang weavers do not specifically use a tape measure or ruler to draw their designs. According to one of them they simply "created" their designs!

Colourful food covers well protected by transparent plastic. I think the heart shaped design is so sweet. This is a more modern concept of "cut and paste". Different from the woven concept. 

Another special design - a lacey one. This one can cover two or three dishes of food.

Smaller individual dish covers are piled up here. These have the traditional patterns and they come in myriads of colours which brighten up your kitchen table.

So why not take back a tudung dulang as a souvenir from Brunei Darusalam? Besides your purchase will not only  help to support the skilled women weavers but to encourage more to continue to uphold an art which needs to be preserved.

Bru$1.00 Only - Nasi Katok

Nasi Katok is an iconic snack in Brunei. The name katok might have come from Indonesia. But the way the Bruneians fry their chicken is amazing.

I love the special sambal too.

But then, to have a good meal with only Brunei 1.00 dollar? It is amazing.

I thank Cikgu Kok for taking us to a house where we could ta pau (take away) the best Nasi Katok in Brunei.

Manuel Rodrigues - Guitars which take my heart away......

I have always been impressed by people who play the guitar well.

The guitar is afterall a simple musical instrument which can be carried around easily. It has really been an instrument which has been "instrumental" in getting many of my girl friends to fall in love with the musicians!!

Perhaps it is the age old part of our culture - the guitar playing guy gets the girl...A good friend of mine recently told me that it is true in her case . In fact I have many other testimonies. So guys out there if you haven't found a girl friend yet...pick up guitar playhing...

However today I am bringing your attention to a fairly higher end of guitars which may cost up to Bru$6000!! "Using only the finest woods, and hand-forming each to precise tolerances, Manuel Rodriguez developed distinctive guitars fit for the world’s preeminent artists. Each instrument is as unique and individual as the musician who plays it." 

Manuel Rodrigues is a company that makes really good Spanish guitars. But the most interesting and iconic sign on the guitar is not the wood (which you cannot really t ell) but the design on it. The hole in the guitar is always decorated by Spanish embroidery design. What can be more Spanish than their embroidery?

This is such a great tribute to women's hardwork and traditions....I wonder how many men would design or invent an instrument and put their mother's or wife's embroidery design on it.

Some one thought that it would be a wonderful idea to give a guitar to the Sultan of Brunei for his birthday. He would have chosen a Manuel Rodrigues guitar for His Royal Highness.

Athough the guitars are fascinating and famous the high prices make them unreachable for most of us and we just look - or go window shopping. Every guitar made by MR has an intriguing needlework  design. And I think that it is this delicate Spanish art which makes the MR guitar a distinctive instrument above all the others.

Manuel Rodriguez has paid the greatest tribute to his wife in his life long endeavour of making good guitars. What a great mind! What love !!

Visit a shop selling MR guitars and look at the needlework patterns on them.....Cheers. Ole!

The Wooden Railway of Seria

There are no working railways or light rail in Seria. The route and remnants of a wooden railway from Seria to Badas that was built by the British Malayan Oil Company (now Brunei Shell Petroleum) before the war to service the water supply to Seria from the Badas pumping station on the Sungai Belait are still visible. 

Brunei Steam Train. On display. Photo courtesy - Brunei Museum.

BMP staff hid essential components of the railway from the Japanese during WW2 who therefore were unable to restore it so it fell into disrepair. When the liberation forces of the Australian 9th Division arrived, these components miraculously re-appeared and the railway was quickly restored to action to carry two 25 pounder guns and ammunition to Badas, to harry a Japanese contingent that was still in the area.

Daun Bungar from Labi

The swamps of Northern Sarawak (Lawas and Limbang) and Brunei give out an interesting  organic plant/ wild vegetable called Daun or Sayur Bungar. The people of Brunei in particular like this vegetable. And even the Chinese shops are selling them as the demand increases. A  lady farmer from Labi near Sg. Liang gathering the juicy and succulent vegetables not only introduced the vegetable to me but taught me how to cook it..

she even told me that more and more people are interested in this vegetable in the towns now. It is a very interesting and delicious vegetable!!

The upper part of the leaves are slightly chewy but tasty.

These leaves have to be blanched before they are stir fried with pounded dried shrimps.

These stalks have the same texture although a little softer than asparagus. They are nice steamed with some oyster sauce poured over before serving.

However the local people in Sg. Liang in Brunei prefer to  cook the blanched vegetables in a thick santan with chili and other prepared sambal.

Bitter Melon in Kiangeh Market in Bandar Seri Begawan

The uses of ampalaya OR BITTER MELON encompass a number of herbal medicines used during ancient times. This herb has been part of folklore medicine since Philippine natives used the fruit as a cure for a variety of ailments. The Filipinos in Brunei use this bitter melon in their cooking.

Today many farmers have started to plant and sell it in the markets.

Ampalaya, or Momordica charantia, is a climbing vine. The vine grows as large as five meters and has tendrils that are 20 centimeters in length, on average. The leaves of the pant are heart shaped. Each leaf is between five and ten centimeters wide.

. A popular fruit in the Philippines, bRUNEI  and Malaysia, ampalaya fruit is green and oblong in shape. The ends are pointed. When the seeds mature within the fruit, the pointed edges become wrinkled and eventually burst open. The seeds from the plant are flat.

In terms of taste, the ampalaya fruit itself is edible and has a bitter taste to it. In fact, its name loosely translates to "bitter melon." This bitter taste comes from the momordicin within the fruit. Some claim that ampalaya fruit is some of the most bitter of all types of fruits and vegetables.

It is good in a Malaysian style salad, with a sambal made from belacan. It is good to prepare it as a soupl. Use the leaves and some fruits and cook with pork bones or ikan bilis. A nice warm soup which may be very healthy.

Steamed Bao or Steamed Buns in Borneo

Steamed Char Siu bas (halal) in Kuala Belait (Brunei)

Wherever there is a small community of Chinese in Borneo Island it is quite possible to find good baos.

Char siew is a favourite filling for baos, and usually these baos ae small in size.

The BIG Baos, probably only found in Malaysia and Borneo  are the size of one's palms. The filling is usually made up of a slice of egg, some mushrooms, a piece of chicken and some pork. It is up to the maker to develop a good filling so that people will come and buy his special big baos.

Steamed baos are popular because they are considered HOT food (steamer is used) and fresh. Besides they are usually easy to take away.

They are convenient food.

A Rice Farmer's Spiritual Dimensions

Not everyone has seen rice still in its husk in real life!! A rice farmer knows immediately this is the small grained white rice specially grown in the northwest part of Borneo and especially in Brunei where there is more than 220 good days of sunshine for the rice to become firm and hard and yet soft when boiled. There is no sour taste in the grains when it is softened. fully mature this rice keeps longer than many other breeds. It is time to train the next generation of rice farmers.

‘Without rice, there is nothing doing.’

The fact that rice plays an important role in the lives of the peoples of Southeast Asia is undeniable. It is not just a form of sustenance that nourishes the body; it is also an aspect of everyday life that feeds not only the soul but the unbounded realms of the imaginative human mind. Such proverbs as above are an example of how rice is revered and incorporated in day-to-day living of the peoples in this region. Even outside the region, as in Mizumono Kuni – the Land of Luxurious Rice Crops that is Japan, the placement of rice is that of a very high level:



…next to the Emperor, rice is the most sacred of all things on earth. Money can be squandered and the wastrel forgiven, but there is no forgiveness for wasting rice (Piper 1993:14).

I am dedicating this posting to all my relatives who in the past and at the present grow rice as nature would want them to so that we human beings have rice on the table........

If you ever have a chance to get close to nature do accept an offer to help harvest padi in either Brunei or Sarawak.. You will not only harvest a basket of rice grains in the day but a huge body of knowledge about rice cultivation. for the farmers will definitely introduce you to their value systems and beliefs surrounding their rice cultivation.....Amongst the many things they will tell you would be something really simple... leave behind extra seeds for the birds and the field mice. They will tell you not to take home every single grain because "others need to eat also".. Simply put...we are to share this beautiful earth with others too...be it a small bird or a little field mouse.

My friends are Catholics and they continue to revere the God who created the earth and the universe. This same God provides them with a rich soil from which grow rice. In this way these padi farmers have a lot of respect for the earth and the whole ecosystem.

Today the rice fields of my friend in Brunei have freshly "regrowing rice" in a patch amongst the dying stumps of harvested rice plants. As it happens every single cycle of rice cultivation several parts which  have been harvested continue to leave behind some newly flowering plants. These extras are growing because "we have to leave some for the others to partake of our harvest - the birds and the rats for example and other "people". They too need to benefit from our hard work..." according to her.

If you are not observant enough you might not see this little bundle in the middle of the field. This special bundle  states that the farmers here respect the powers of the higher spirits which are in control of heaven and earth and all the forces of nature. This is a symbolic gesture and prayers are said. God in all His infinite wisdom would accept this as a farmers' prayer for a good harvest.

Before their rice planting each year they put some "tokens or miring in the middle of the field" to the natural elements of heaven and earth or spirits of the farmers - a tradition their ancestors taught them before they became Catholics in the last generation. This is to appease the spirits for their use of the precious land and to ensure protection. In their hearts they pray to the God of Abraham and Jacob for help in the rice cultivation.

Some of these grains are left deliberately for the "other people" to eat.

The husband and wife team are looking for the last grains - now is the stage when they use their own hands to  pluck each and valueable stalk of grains in the hot sun.


The brown stumps at the background have already been harvested. Today she is just picking by hand some of the "remainders" of the sheaves.

Looking at my friend as I reflect on the influence of rice on our human race. As my camera shot different scenes in her rice field I wonder how little change indeed a woman rice farmer has seen in all these centuries.  Rice has been grown in Asia for the last 7,000 years. Recent findings in China indicate that this may in fact be 10,000 years. From the terraces of China to the lowlands of Sri Lanka, it is cultivated on all continents except Antarctica. About half of the world’s population, most of whom live in Asia, depends on rice as a staple food. Each woman rice farmer still carries a basket and bends her back to pluck the precious grains at harvest time.

And again she to relates to me about the respect she must give to God of the universe in her simple language. She must thank God for the bounty He has given to her and her family. She cannot explain whether there is a goddess involved in rice planting in her ancestors' oral tradition although in many communities, there is usually a goddess or mother figure associated with rice. In Bali, it is Dewi Sri or Bhatari Sri. In Thailand, rice is revered as ‘ Mother Rice’. In India, she is Annapoorna and she promises those who come to her what a mother gives naturally and freely—food. The Hindu goddess Lakshmi is usually associated with wealth and prosperity, but such prosperity is based on rice.

Different cultures have different stories about how rice came to be. The Chinese believe that rice is a gift from the animals. Once upon a time, China was hit by very bad floods. The people ran up to the hills to stay. When the floods were over, they came down and found that all the plants had died. They tried hunting but there were few animals left. One day, some people saw a dog running across a field. Around its neck were bundles of stalks with yellow seeds. They people grew these seeds and called the plants “rice”. With rice to eat, they were not hungry anymore. This is why rice is considered more precious than jewels in Chinese culture.

An ancient folk tale told by  some longhouse dwellers relate a story of how a goddess gave birth to an earth child after a relationship with a human being. Before going back to the spiritual world she gave the seeds for her husband and son to plant so that they need not depend on hunting for food.

I thank my friend and her husband for taking time from their heavy schedule of rice farming to bring me along for half a day's work. Although my basket was not 'full to the brim" as I was not used to working fast with hands amongst the heavily laden rice stalks my heart was full of happiness because "the harvest" was promising. God is indeed a great provider.


ref : PIPER, Jacqueline M.
1993 Rice in South-East Asia: Cultures and Landscapes. Kuala Lumpur: Oxford University Press.