Experience the unique cuisine in Borneo, East Malaysia

Borneo is known for its nature and wildlife, but visitors are often surprised by the wonderful selection of food on offer. While Borneo has similar cultural influences to Peninsular Malaysia, Malaysian, Indian, Chinese, the tribes native to the area have also influenced the culinary scene.

Bird’s Nest Soup

Sarawak has a long-standing reputation for producing world-class bird’s nests. Popular with Chinese, local climbers risk life and limb to climb precarious caves to reach the nest of swallows. The saliva is then extracted and dried into pieces before being made into soup.

Satay 

Satay is probably one of Malaysia’s most famous dishes, and for very good reason, it is bloody delicious. You can find good satay pretty much everywhere but we were lucky enough to have our resort’s head chef prepare some us specially. The delicious little sticks of meat, usually chicken or beef, are cooked with handful of spices and lemongrass and then barbecued to give them their unique flavour. They are then served with a scrummy dipping sauce usually made with coconut and peanuts among other things.

Kolok Mee 

Kolok Mee is a unique Chinese dish found only in Sarawak. The noodles are made from eggs, blanched in water and then served in a clear sauce. Small pieces of beef or pork are then drizzled over it. However, you can find variations of this dish today in Kuala Lumpur.

Manok Pansoh 

This is a dish from the Ibans of Sarawak. Pieces of chicken are stuffed into a bamboo tube together with mushrooms, lemongrass and tapioca leaves. It is then cooked over an open fire, the bamboo preserving the taste and fragrance of the ingredients within.

Nasi Goreng

This fried rice dish is again one the most popular dishes to eat and you should come across it in many varieties, usually served with crackers and topped with a fried egg. This can be eaten anywhere from street food stalls to high end restaurants.

Hinava

The Kadazan are responsible for this unique dish which is a form of sushi. Pieces of fresh mackerel, shredded ginger, mango seeds, sliced shallots and red chillies are mixed and drenched in lime juice, which acts as a ‘cooking’ agent. The result is a fragrant dish with a delicious taste.

Sayur Manis

This leafy vegetable was first discovered in the Sabah town of Lahad Datu by a farmer, who found a way to grow the stems into a crunchy texture and give the leaves a tender texture. Today, Lahad Datu is famous for these leafy greens.

See more: Must-try street food in Kuala Lumpur

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Top 5 classic Singaporean street foods

Singapore may be among the world’s smallest countries, but what it lacks in size it makes up for with an astonishing culinary variety. Here are 5 street food items that shouldn’t be missed.

Frog porridge

Don’t be put off by the name – frog porridge is one of the cleanest dishes you’ll ever eat, and far from a tourist-baiting piece of grotesquery. Frogs are marinated in soy, spring onions and wine, with spicy chili and milder ginger variations common. Cooked well, the frog meat is succulent, sweet and unbelievably delicate. Rumors that it tastes just like chicken may be exaggerated, but there are some similarities. The porridge that accompanies it is gloopy yet light. It often comes with a green onion sauce in most hawker stalls.

Hainanese chicken rice

Hainanese chicken rice is one of the most popular Singaporean dishes and often considered as one of their national dishes by locals and foreigners. Although it’s just a simple combination of boiled chicken, paired with flavorful rice and sauce, this Hainanese influenced dish, ranks as one of the most popular and beloved dishes to eat in Singapore.

Bak kut teh

Bak kut teh, literally means "meat bone tea", is a Chinese soup that is one of those most-wanted dishes in Singapore. This dish consists of meaty pork ribs simmered in a complex broth of herbs and spices. This dish is usually coupled with tea in the belief that tea will help dissolve a large amount of fat in the soup.

Curry laksa

If you try only one dish in Singapore, make it laksa. The hallmark of Peranakan cuisine, which melds Malay and Chinese influences, laksa is a creamy coconut sauce filled with vermicelli noodles and fried bean curd. Slices of fish, shrimp and cockles are added for a hearty yet healthy meal. Like fish head curry, it can be enjoyed in a tamarind-filled asam variant which adds shredded mackerel and pieces of mangosteen.

Satay

Listed at number 14 on the World’s 50 most delicious foods, compiled by CNNGo in 2011, satay is a must-try dish in Singapore. The satay dish includes skewers of grilled meat, sliced cucumbers, sliced onions, pressed rice cakes, served with thick, sweet, and hot peanut sauce on the side.

See more: 5 best places to eat Hainanese chicken rice in Singapore

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10 must-try foods in Indonesia

Indonesian cuisine is one of those things that attract tourists the most. The foods can vary from spicy to sweet, sour to savoury yet they all taste super duper delicious. Thus, it's a must to try these 10 dishes which are Indonesian's pride.

1. Nasi Goreng

Literally meaning "fried rice" in Indonesian, Nasi Goreng is an Indonesian rice dish with pieces of meat and vegetables added. It can refer simply to fried pre-cooked rice, a meal including stir fried rice in a small amount of cooking oil or margarine, typically spiced with kecap manis (sweet soy sauce), shallot, garlic, ground shrimp paste, tamarind and chilli and accompanied by other ingredients, particularly egg, chicken and prawns.

2. Satay

Satay, or sate in Indonesian spelling, is a dish of seasoned, skewered and grilled meat, served with a sauce. Satay may consist of diced or sliced chicken, goat, mutton, beef, pork, fish, other meats, or tofu; the more authentic version uses skewers from the midrib of the coconut palm frond, although bamboo skewers are often used. 

3. Beef Rendang

Rendang is a spicy meat dish which originated in ethnic group of Minangkabau people, and is now commonly served across the country. One of the characteristic foods of Minangkabau culture, it is served at ceremonial occasions and to honour guests. In 2018, rendang is officially recognised as one of 5 national dishes of Indonesia.

4. Sop Buntut

Sop Buntut is made of slices of fried or barbecued oxtail, served in vegetable soup with rich but clear beef broth. It contains boiled potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, leek, celery, and fried shallots. Indonesian sop buntut is seasoned with shallot, garlic and native spices such as black pepper, nutmeg, and clove.

5. Indomie

You don't really have to go to Indonesia to taste Indomie, but it's certainly worth having while you're there! After all, this country is home to the instant noodles that every college student loves. With a world of flavours at your disposal and at less than a dollar a pack, you could easily live off of this Indonesian dish. Best of all, you'll find Indomie literally anywhere — from restaurants to corner stores.

6. Martabak

This sweet Indonesian food is the country's spin on a pancake, usually filled with anything from chocolate and nuts to cheese. Think crepe but thicker. These sweet treats are only sold in the evening and night, so you might have to wait for your midnight snack to give this one a try.

7. Pempek

Pempek, mpek-mpek or empek-empek is a savoury fishcake delicacy from Palembang, South Sumatera, Indonesia, made of fish and tapioca. Pempek is served with rich sweet and sour sauce called "cuko" (vinegar sauce). Sometimes local people also add yellow noodles for variations.

8. Tumpeng

Tumpeng is a cone-shaped rice dish with side dishes of vegetables and meat. The rice cone is erected in the "tampah" (rounded woven bamboo container), covered with a banana leaf, and surrounded by assorted Indonesian dishes. In 2013, the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy promoted tumpeng as one of 30 Indonesian culinary icons and gave it the status of official national dish of Indonesia in 2014, describing it as "the dish that binds the diversity of Indonesian various culinary traditions."

9. Tempeh

Tempeh is a traditional soy product originating from Indonesia. It is made by a natural culturing and controlled fermentation process that binds soybeans into a cake form. Tempeh is the only major traditional soy food that did not originate from Greater Chinese cuisine.

10. Gado-Gado

Gado-Gado, also known as lotek, is an Indonesian salad of slightly boiled, blanched or steamed vegetables and hard-boiled eggs, boiled potato, fried tofu and tempeh, and "lontong" (rice wrapped in a banana leaf), served with a peanut sauce dressing. In 2018, Gado-Gado is promoted as one of 5 national dishes of Indonesia.

See more: Top 5 worth-visiting cities in Indonesia

Source: Internet