Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri

Raya’s looming over us, in fact we’ll find out tonite at 7pm.  No point debating if it’s going to be Wednesday or Thursday, although many I’ve talked to were certain it’s going to be tomorrow. I haven’t seen our Raya cakes at home yet; they’ll arrive late on the first day. But here’s a taster of what you can expect during the celebrations.

Kuih Mor (Snowballs) are a must during raya. No Kuih mor, no raya.

Kuih Lapis Sarawak is a work of art as well as engineering. The separate layers are intricately organized with such geometric precision.

More pics coming soon.

In the mean time, Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Maaf Zahir dan Batin, everyone!! Enjoy the celebrations!

A bit of Pakistan

I went to a North Indian/ Pakistani restaurant in Kiulap the other day for sungkai and had awesome curry the way I like it. Just look at these pics.

Sweet Lassi and Bandung, dates and the world’s best Pakora to break the fast.

Kofta Karahi

Chicken Jalfrezi

Vegetable Lahori

Briyani

Lamb Karahi

Thick fluffy nan bread to go with the curry.

For dessert, Sweet Semolina

Excellent stuff!

Sungkai Delights

We’re at the end of Ramadan today, and tomorrow we’ll be celebrating Hari Raya or Eid (if the ‘baby’ moon is sighted tonite). But i’ve somewhat fallen behind in posting up pics of food here (blame my photo editing programme that shuts down while you’re still working on something). As usual Ramadan has not disappointed me this time as even though we fast the whole month, the most beautiful and delicious foods seem to just conjure from nowhere (but perhaps from pots, belangas and periuks… you know what I mean lah).  I suppose it’s just natural, coz when you’ve been fasting the whole day, even the simplest dish like Maggi Kari campur talur would seem like precious truffles… not that I know what truffles taste like – sia-sia pon…  But here are a few more drool-inducing beauties I had these past few weeks.

This is Wajid Temburong or Wajid Jawa.  The normal Wajid is sticky rice mixed with natural palm sugar, rolled into fingers as above, and wrapped in Daun Nyirik. Wajid Temburong uses fine grain rice, which gives the cake a finer texture.  It is so named apparently because the tradition started in the Temburong District. It’s also called Wajid Jawa after the type of fine rice used.

Katu Mayang is soft noodle cakes made from rice flour served with coconut and pandan cream.  The contrast between the Pandan green and the white noodles is enough to entice anyone to try it.

The Popiah Udang (this is the small triangular version) is always a winner in the savoury snacks department. This pic is of the stock I have in my bedroom, so obviously I love it. The fried curry leaves add a beautiful aroma to the popia. A Raya favourite this.

Another savoury is the Kuih Jala, so called due to it’s a rolled up net-like appearance (‘jala’ means ‘net’). Inside the roll is usually curried chicken or beef and potato. (NOTE: Apparently if the ‘roll’ is filled as such, it’s then called Kuih Renjis – Thanks Kalbi!).

I’m rather undecided if this Pulut Kuning and Kelapa is savoury or sweet. The yellow colour comes from turmeric added to sticky rice, which gives it that savoury flavour as well. But the dessicated coconut with brown sugar is sweet. So what you get is an interesting contrast of flavours in this very simple dish.

These muffin-like cakes are steamed Apam made from Tapai rice (i’ve been told) and palm sugar. In the background you’ll see famous Kuih Malaya. This particular one is by far the best Kuih Malay I’ve ever had (i’ve made many return trips to the Bu Hajah who made them in the Tutong Gerai Ramadan since). The peanut, sugar and raisin filling is shown below.

This is Bubur Kacang Hijau with Durian or Green Mung Bean Sweet porridge with Durian.

These green Spring roll-looking kuih is called Kuih Lenggang (literally ‘Wiggle cake’ – wonder why). Essentially it’s a pandan crepe filled with sweet dessicated coconut and rolled up.

Pandan is also a key ingredient in this Kuih Talam (correct me here!) particularly to create the green layer. The bottom layer is sweet glutinous rice. (NOTE: I have been corrected- this Kueh is actually called Seri Muka – Thanks again Kalbi!).

This pretty combo was what I had at Nyonya Restaurant Sungkai Buffet the other week.  On the plate is Prawn Folded Popia, a heart-shaped Apam and Mulitcoloured Bingka Lapis (close up below).  The pink drink is Bandung, rose-syrup with milk.

Gorgeous to look at, even better to eat.  Till next year, Ramadan.

Dimsum… the finish.

I’d earlier posted the steamed Dim sums. There were also other dishes and desserts.

The item on the right is my favourite Yam dumpling with chicken filling, see below. The other one is crispy prawn fritter.

This was nice too, can’t remember what it’s called.

In the fore you’ll see probably the most tasty dish we had that night, very tender chicken cuts.  At the back is Fried carrot cake (i’ve  never understood this dish. where’s the carrot??).

Fried rice. You can see I went for seconds with the chicken… or was it thirds?

Glutinous rice ball filled with lotus paste, and covered in sesame seeds. The inside, below. (er… sorry bout the bitemarks).

For dessert, we had Longan Tofu Fah. Very, very nice.

And a freeflow of Chinese tea to go with the cakes.

Kudos…

Dimsum Sahur… the beginning

Had very early sahur last week… 11pm on Saturday at Dynasty… indulgence…

Sweetcorn custard-filled steamed paus, and savoury chicken-filled paus

Crabstick and Seaweed Siew Mai

Fresh water prawn dumpling

This is Chicken Siew Mai

The table was full…

A very happy customer

See you in Part 2…

I ate an elephant…

… a Thai chocolate elephant, to be precise… and it was delicious!  I’ll eat an elephant any time!!

* A bit of culture for you; the figure next to the elephant is a traditional depiction of a Thai Angel.

255 hits yesterday!

WOO-HOO!! Not bad for a self-indulgent food freak! Thanks for visiting, guys!

L’aliments délicieux!

… hope the French is correct, or maybe I should just stick to Tutong… ‘Lakanon jia anyam!’

Let’s start with the Ulam. This is Daun Membangan or Mambangan leaves or Daun Esom in Tutong. Very aromatic leaves that whets the appetite.  Next to it are beans, Kacang Bedibit?? (apa kan sebanarnya namanya in the Speeking London? please enlighten me).

You’ll keep getting pics of these different kinds of rice, not sure what this one’s called though. I remember it being fibrous, with a nutty flavour and ‘lamah-liat’ texture.

Kacang panjang masak tumis that went well with the squid in tangy chilli sauce.

Perhaps one of the most versatile plants alongside the Coconut is the Ubi Kayu (Tapioca).  The Tube can be made into various cakes, or simply boiled and eaten to replace rice.  The Shoots (Pucuk in Malay, Telus in Tutong) of the tapioca can be blanched and eaten as ulam (will upload pic soon) or cooked into a savoury veg, with or without coconut cream or santan.  (Aminah Ariff does beautiful Pucuk Ubi in Santan). This one is without santan, a healthier option, if you care about these things…

The Watermelon doesn’t just give you heavenly juice, but the white part of its thick skin can be cooked into veg as above. Remove the green outer skin and remove the red flesh. Use only the white bit, but waste not what not. Sweat some garlic, shallots/ onions, chilli, add a bit of water, and then follow tradition by adding a bit of belacan ( it adds sweetness; no harm using chicken or veg stock). Throw in some dried or fresh prawns. Basically the watermelon is boiled. I sometimes have this on its own as a soup with loads of chilli. Wicked stuff.

I’ve featured this one before (malas check), but this is bamboo shoots with pucuk bagu (bagu leaves).  Fresh bamboo shoots should always have a natural sweetness to it. If it doesn’t, then it’s not fresh. This pic is deliberately blurry from the steam off the veg. Nice effect, one thinks! Hohoho

This was chicken tandoori sheesh kali. Bought from some nice restaurant in town. Very tasty actually.

Also very tasty was this Sup Tulang, bits of tender meat on the bone. Nice if you’re feeling a bit under the weather.

Now here’s something to talk about! This is Berubut or Tripe.  If you saw the actual thing for the first time, you’d probably think it was large piece of towel. But in case you didn’t know, Berubut is actually the large intestine of the cow/buffalo. I’ve seen it being prepared before and by God, it smelled like holy crap! Well, it is THAT part of the animal… Sorry if you’ve suddenly lost your appetite now, I know ignorance is bliss some times… But now you know. I’ve always known. So i’ll just take people’s word that it tastes really nyaman.

Some roast chicken or Ayam panggang.

How’s about some Kerang masak Kicap / Clams in soy sauce? Yes, please!

… ou le poisson pour vous, pourqois non?  Fish in spicy sambal ‘usptairs’, or this grilled Mackerel you see ‘downstairs’… heheh a bit of Brunei English for you.

and for drinks, there’s Puspa or Rose syrup with milk and grass jelly, palm seeds, red bean, and sweetcorn.

Traditionally this drink used to be available only during Ramadan, as was the case for Cendol, but now most restaurants serve this all year round. Blasphemy!! We make our own at home, but only during puasa.

That’s it for this time. Selamat berpuasa!

Of strange Ulams, and even stranger kuihs…

In the last two weeks I came across an array of makanan. But to those who think gluttony is my favourite sin past time, I must clarify I did NOT eat them all, as difficult as that may be to believe.

On the left here you see Cakoi, a kind of bread that’s fried to a fluff and filled with Kaya (coconut and egg jam) and butter.  A favourite in Brunei.  And so is the Kuih Malaya on the right. A Waffle-like base that’s folded into half with sweet peanuts, raisin and condensed milk as filling.

Beef in soy sauce. To be more precise, Buffalo meat in Soy sauce. Nice with white rice.

I have a love affair with this dish. It’s Ikan Pusu sauteed with dried chilli and cubed potatoes.  Mum used to put this over a serving of rice and wrap it in Daun Jengang (Simpur) and feed her naughty kids yang inda mau makan.  We of course took her bait and ate our meal to our hearts’ content.  Pusu goreng and nasi puteh, on Daun Jengang- no contest!

Hati Ayam! Chicken liver!

Sayur masin.  I think this is salted cabbage(fermented)  sauteed with dried shrimps.

This Prawn Curry was beautiful! The curry was just the right thickness and with just the right heat and the prawns were not overcooked.

Umai or raw fish in lime juice (?) and chilli. The citric acid from the lime ‘cooks’ the fish slowly. It’s nice, I’m sure…

My parents must have ulam/salad with their meals, at least cucumber and belacan. But they also had this last week, young, unripe bananas (peel on), taken as ulam with belacan and pusu paste. I’d never tried this before, but it turned out to be very nice. I suppose if we can have Banana chips, we shouldn’t bat an eyelid on this ulam.

Hati Buyah marinated in sweet soy sauce and fried. Another favourite.

This was obviously bought from the Gerai Ramadan in Tutong.  Calamari/ Sotong in sambal sauce and grilled over slow burning charcoal.  The sotong was tender and not rubbery, as is often the case. Very nice.

Grilled Tongking/ Bishop’s nose/ Chicken tail/ Coccyx (spelling?). Dangerously nyaman.

The Pais Daging bought at the Gerai Ramadan was also really nice.  Some pais are mixed with very thin and runny ambuyat to coat the meat cuts and bind them. It adds a ’slimy’ texture to the dish… slime can be good… some times…

I had fresh coconut juice with the pulp. Very refreshing drink to help wash down these gems below:

Cucur Ubi Kayu or (Mashed) Tapioca fritters. I love these!

And these were nice too, Kuih… *ahem*… Kuih Pukis….  No, that’s not a typo, that’s what it’s actually called!  A friend tells me that this Kuih originates from Indonesia; but the the peculiarity of its name in Brunei has meant a new moniker is in order. So you’ll probably have come across this very kuih under a different guise such as Kuih Pakis, Kuih Pungkis etc… Regardless, I love Pukis (No pun intended!)… Who doesn’t?? Geez…

Sabi Ula mian Seafood

Was 1.30 am. Craving for teh tarik. Drove to Bandar from Tutong. Saw crabs, kerang and yang sewaktu dengannya… and the rest was history…

“Take me to your leader…!!”

These crabs were SO beautiful I just had to eat them…

Bluest crab ever!!

“Wow, those are massive conques you have there, madam!!… Yes, I said ‘Conques’!!”

These boiled clams were really simple and delicious. Boiled in salted water with ginger. Sprinkled with lime juice and dipped in chillied soy sauce. But we also had Chilli Clams which were just as nice.

Aha! Finally!

Fresh coconuts to boot…

But perhaps the weirdest drink i ever came across was this…

Yes, Red Bull and Evaporated Milk!!  It tasted like the juice of canned Fruit Cocktail actually, so it werent too bad after all…  a crazy drink to wash away our midnite madness…

Not sorry…

for the mis-allignment in my posts… it’s the text-wrap… Can’t be bovvered, innit?  Not out to win awards… hehe

Mian ge lamin

As someone who’s always on the move and only comes home only to sleep, what i find on the dining table at home when I AM HOME are some of the most amazing, as these pics will show you.

Beras Kabun, organic rice, rich in fibre.

Green Ulam consisting of blanched Okra, Pegaga and Long Beans, also Kacang Bendir…

Chicken feet in tangy Turmeric and Tamarind gravy.

OK, so Sardines are not ‘traditional’ Bruneian food, but they ARE ‘traditionally’ extracted from those oval-shaped cans, and then  cooked with lots of large onions, shallots, garlic and chilli. Apparently nice if you squeeze lime over it.

This is Chicken feet in dry curry. The green bits you see are actual curry leaves.

Ani Bayam Nur, but not too sure if it’s actually related to Spinach despite its name.

Yang ini pulak, Ayam Goreng Garing. Basically it’s chicken marinated in soy sauce, chilli, and ginger and then deliberately over-fried. This makes it crispy, though a bit chewy. But nice.

These Green mussels have been sauteed in green and red chillis, with shallots and garlic and a bit of oyster sauce.

In Tutong language, this is called ‘Puta masak lempan’ or ‘Ikan masak dadah’ or simply ‘Fish boiled in broth’. The usual suspects: ginger, shallots, lemongrass, but with a bit of turmeric and dried asam.

Here’s the famous Pais Daging, marinated beefcuts and fats stuffed into palm pockets and grilled over low fire. But modern versions uses aluminum foil.

A close-up…

And here’s something that’s not so traditional. It’s rolled up bread slices with with filling and then dipped in egg and deep-fried. Good news for the heart, I’m sure!

And that’s it! Karang lagi upload.

Sungkai Arab

Pardon the innuendo, but last week I was invited by my Egyptian friend for a spot of sungkai at his place. I’ve always loved Arabic food, and I was met by some glorious home made grub. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Meatballs (Kofta?)

Mince pie

Shredded roast lamb

Roast Chicken

Roast potatoes

Tomato and Cucumber salad

Al-Ruz, or rice with pine nuts and served on a layer of bread.  A dish for special ocassions.

These are Mahshi. They’re little rice parcels with minced meat wrapped usually in Vine leaves, but in this case, cabbage. If you looked carefully you’d just be able to make out the individual parcels.

By far my favourite arabic dish, Okra in tomato puree.

Braised tender lamb.

Desserts! This is Konafa with pistachio filling, and below is Mamboushi(?), sweet semolina with almonds.  Nyamaaann~….

So that was my Sungkai Arab… Yes we have some middle-eastern restaurants in town, but I’ve always said best foods are home cooked. These beauties were.  I’m looking forward to a Hari Raya invite now…

Quickie for busies

This is particularly useful for students who are overseas who do not have time to cook- much less the inclination…

Now, it’s a fact that all Bruneians studying abroad will have a rice cooker in their kitchen somewhere.  The rice cooker need not be just for cooking rice saja, you know. In fact boleh buat soups and ‘casserole’ dishes (without the oven).  But if you’re the type to just masak nasi putih in it, here’s something to add variety. It was a random creation, don’t know what it’s called but i cooked this many times in Leicester. I lived in a studio with NO KITCHEN!  So I improvised a lot.

1. Measure and wash your rice grains as per normal, but add a tad extra water.

2. Throw in roughly chopped large onions, garlic, chili, ginger.

3. Add some chicken stock powder (or veg/beef stock).

4. spoon in some butter or minyak sapi (ghee).

5. Add some spices, anything lah: I used a bit of jintan manis, cinamon stick, corriander, star anise, but you must have turmeric/ kunyit powder (1 small teaspoon- for colour and taste). At least, some Turmeric and Black pepper, or a bit of curry powder.

6. If you have chicken breasts/ wings/ drums (but not too chunky- karang inda masak dalamnya!), coat these with a bit of garlic/ginger paste- and throw into the pot. Alternatively if you have leftover chicken from your takeaway last nite or cooked chicken from Nandos, Maryland, KFC, McDonalds, McIndian (awu- this really exists in Leicester!) etc, masukkan saja ( i used nandos chicks a lot). OR use Chunky Carrots/ veg.

7. Cover and cook as per normal.  Gaul/ kacau the rice say halfway into cooking, and just get on with whatever you have to do as a student there… like PS3-ing, online gaming, e-baying, sleeping, blogging writing essays, whatever…

It really is simple- throwing in stuff and leaving to cook.  Kalau sudah masak you can add celery pieces and sprinkle with fresh corriander leaves. In the end, you get Briyani-type of dish, with chicken/ beef in it.  Cheap, simple, quick and easy… and it doesn’t even have a name!!

It should look something like this pulang…

(pic IS Nasi Briyani, courtesy Pinkpainter.WP)

Oh by the way, I never killed anyone in the process- both my guinea pigs Hazri and Shahrin are still alive and kicking now… i think… i hope…

Simple pleasures

This is ‘Sesagun’ / ‘Sagun’.  It’s roasted sago powder with coconut and sugar, traditionally eaten with bananas.  You mash or slice the bananas (Pisang Util, in pic, are my favourite bananas) and coat them with Sesagun and you eat them. There is also Rice Sagun (Sagun baras), made obviously from rice, cooked, sun dried, and milled.  This type doesn’t normally have coconut in it, but ada gula.  I normally go for the Sago-based one, as the powder is ’smoother’ and melts in the mouth.

There’s flavour, there’s texture. Simple pleasures in life can be sooo good.

Sweet Pisang Util with Sagun.

Now for something non-traditional or unconventional. I sometimes eat my Durian Monthong with Sagun, in the same way you would bananas.  I go for texture. I say, why not??

I dare you to try it!

And this is Sukun (breadfruit?). Sukun is related to the Jackfruit (Cempedak/ Tibadak and Nangka), with the same type of thick rough skin. In my previous post I included a photo of this fruit cooked as a savoury veg.  This is the same fruit shallow fried in butter.  Nice eaten as chips.

These little gems are what I grew up with. They bring back memories…. sweet memories of my childhood. awww

Syasya’s Barbie

Last week I was at a bbq to celebrate a friends’ baby girl’s 1st bday! Here’s the cake…

Kiut ah the cake..!  Just hope it grows bigger as Syasya grows older… hehe

A Brunei style bbq, in case you’re still under any illusions that it’s anything typical, is not your typical barbie… foodwise at least…

It’s not just chicken drums-turned-carbon, there’s always other interesting stuff to fill your gob, such as..

Ok Ikan salai, not so bad… nice actually, with a bit of soy sauce dip with shallots, bird’s eye chili and lots of lime juice.

We also had  Sup tulang (bone soup).

This is Chicken curry. The cinnamon stick gives it that extra oomph.

These are little fish, sun dried and then fried to a crisp.  You can eat it just like that, the way we did. They were really tasty.

Ada soto lagi tu…   this used the broth from the bone soup, poured over bee hoon, with spring onions, and the tender meat that fell off the bone… (see pic above)

And glorious satay… Satay urat, satay ayam and satay daging served with spicy peanut sauce…

The lontong (pressed rice cubes) was excellent too!  The begedil pun nyaman. These are potato balls with beef or chicken, coated in egg and fried. Not good for the heart, but always good for an empty stomach, esp when dipped in chili sauce.

I’m not sure what these are called, but i bet they belong to the Ketupat family. These are triangular rice cakes with beef filling (or chicken or prawn), wrapped in sweet aromatic pandan leaves. These are obviously the savoury, but here’s another type of rice cake wrapped in palm leaves.  This is sweet fermented rice called Tapai. I prefer it chilled.

And to finish we had sweet egg tart… yum.

So there ya go, not quite your typical bbq- more like a dinner buffet at Rizqun, but for free… hehe… Happy Birthday Syasya..!!

More later.

ps.  I know this was such a lazy post, but felt obliged to upload stuff, but just been too busy with work. No joy.

kan mian gala…

Here’s some more sinfully nyaman food…

This is my favourite SOTO  (noodle soup) ever!

It’s Soto Rosmini (if you’re having it at Rosmini Restaurant, Gadong) or Soto Rolyani (if you’re at Rolyani Restaurant, Batu Bersurat).  I like mine with beef, fried chicken, hati buyah (apa ni in English?) , telur mata lembu (fried egg, sunny side up), lots of taugeh (beansprouts) and green leafy sawi. Also loads of Kasturi lime and tear-, if not haemmorhoid-, inducing hot chili or Lada rindu.

My friend had Mee goreng mamak. Apparently Mee Goreng mamak is different from your normal mee goreng.  Mee mamak is supposed to be yellow with only a little soy sauce, but lotsa chili sauce in it. Mee mamak is also quite eggy.  On the other hand, Mee goreng is darker in colour because of the tonnes of dark sweet and salty soy sauce in it.

Nothing beats homecooked food though.  Here’s the different types of ‘beras kabun’ (organically grown rice, usually by village folk) we have at home, usually one of these types alongside the Thai beras wangi.  Im not a real fan of beras kabun, but I’m often attracted by the colour and texture of the different types of grain.

Beras kabun Merah (Red grain)

Beras Keladi (lit. Yam rice, but the reference to Yam is actually due to the purple hue of the rice, which is the colour of yam).  There is white semi-glutinous Adan rice (Adan lamah-liat), and also brownish version.  Notice that my mum insists beras kabun be cooked in a traditional pot (daboh) used only for cooking rice over fire.

The rice go well with these kampung style offerings:

Rabung with Bagu (Bamboo shoots with Bagu leaves);

telur goreng masak merah (hardboiled eggs, fried in red sauce);

Some pickled mango with petai seeds also brings out the appetite.

More veg!  Taugeh (beansprouts) with dried prawn and a bit of belacan and chili.  Aubergine cooked as a sambal is also nyaman, one of my favourites.

The yellow veg is a bit odd I think.  It’s actually Sukun (breadfruit?) which I’d normally have lightly fried and eat as chips, but this one has been cooked into a savoury veg with little pusu.

Ladies fingers or Okra or Kacang Bendir is nice when blanched and served as ulam, dipped in belacan.  A bit of kasturi lime juice brigns out the flavour.

Then of course, my mum always has to have her ambuyat or Jelid.  This is just sago powder that is turned into tasteless gunk when boiling hot water is added to it.  This is eaten using a candas or ‘api’ (a Malay-style tong made from bamboo sticks), and dipped into a sauce usually made from fermented sour fruit. This one you see is Binjai dip (mango type fruit).

Traditionally ambuyat should be eaten before you eat rice. I once received a good telling off from my gran for eating rice and other stuff first, and only then eating ambuyat. There must be reason why we have this pantang, but i’ve yet to find out what it is.

Hope that’s whet your appetite for now.  More next time!

* Maula sa blog ituh, ketabi fotos nih duras… why are the fotos all over the place??

My weapons

I seldom leave the house now without these two trusted gadgets… My white and lime green Sony Ericsson K660i mobile-camera phone, and a matching lime green Sony Cybershot T2 camera which I got for my birthday recently.  They’re central to this blog, as they’re what I use to get these fantastic pics of food I post up here. Credit where credit is due I say…  this is an ode to my favourite toys…

Sungkai

Sungkai is ‘to break your fast’, usually at sunset, although i do know of a few people who sungkai much earlier…

I’ve had quite a range of tasties so far, but this being Day 2 of  the puasa, i can promise you plenty more to come…

This is Tempe (soy beans) with anchovies, crispy, sweet and spicy…

And here’s what’s left two minutes later….

buyon berabis …

All this sweet and spicy is washed down by none

other than the Teh Tarik Halia (Ginger Teh tarik) that

I love so much… heats the body up… good for blood

circulation apparently, tapi Im not too sure about all

that cream in the tea pulang…

At home I was met by this delicious offering of ‘marunung’ (a version of ‘takuyong’, or ”l’escargot”, or simply ’snails’).  This was boiled water with the usual mix of ginger, chili, shallots and lemongrass. The the broth makes for a nice earthy and sweet soup.

There was ‘Ikan goreng’, fried fish, lightly coated in tamarind and chili paste.

Another fish dish was one Kunyit asam (Sour Turmeric).  The asam is the dried sour fruit that you see by the chili here.  Two or three pieces of these is enough to give off that tangy taste to complement the subtle turmeric. This dish is called ‘Lempan’ in Tutong (I think).

Below you’ll see salted fish with aubergine. Looks nice. But I’m not a fish-eater I can’t tell you what this, or the other fish dishes, tastes like…  you’ll just have to use your imagination.

If you’re not squeamish, then try this. It’s chicken feet in thick soy gravy.  The marrow adds sweetness to this dish, and the natural fat from the feet gives the gravy a consistency that complements your white rice nicely.

You must have some veg to go with the chicken feet and fish.

This is Sawi (I think it’s Green Pak Choy) masak tumis with dried prawns and some belacan and chili.

This ‘Umbut’ or the shoots of either Nibong or Rotan, i’m not sure. It’s naturally sweet tasting and is usually cooked like this (Masak air) with crushed dried prawn, belacan, chili and shallots.

Sambal batang pisang (Banana shoots sambal).  The young stem of the banana tree is diced and blanched, and coated with lime juice. Add salt, chili, shallots and dried prawns.

Sayur Keladi (Yam stalk) is a kampung dish. The stalk is skinned and boiled until it soft. The texture resembles that of the Tarung or aubergine, except Keladi is more fibrous.  But it slides down your throat really well.

This is long beans crushed with some dried prawns and chili.  A simple dish, but delicious. The chili brings out the appetite in me.

Asam Kelumbi is a very very sour fruit. But once smothered in belacan and chili, the sourness becomes mellow. This fruit is normally pickled or made into a ‘jaruk’.

This bright pink fruit is for real!! It’s called Temelus in Tutong language or Pangalaban in Brunei Malay.

Pink indicates the fruit is ready to eat.  This isn’t a sweet fruit. In fact it’s normally treated as a savoury and eaten with rice. Tastes a bit like avocado, but more intense.

The brown fruit is Jaring. It’s usually boiled and can then be eaten just like that, or made into a sambal.  Not a popular ‘fruit’ because it makes your pee stink… much like asparagus, but 10 times more pungent! It’s got the texture of the chestnut, and is nice to snack on with some dessicated coconut with sugar.

I had my jaring with belacan, crushed with chili and pusu or anchovies.

My plate…

And that was just dinner!! Maybe I should eat at home more often…

Mian atin…

More gastronomic delights… it ain’t French cuisine, but tastes just as good, if not better!

Teh tarik India! Not your ordinary teh tarik that’s just tea and milk ‘pulled’ to create froth similar to that produced by Amy Winehouse when she ODs… No, no, no… Teh Tarik India is a work of art, a layer of clay orange tea sandwiched between pure white milk, and a generous layer of creamy froth. Shame we have to destroy the beauty for us to enjoy it at breakfast, or tea, or lunch, or tea again, or late afternoon minum session, or dinner, or late nite supper lepak sessions…

I’m also partial to strong black Brunei Coffee, just the right acidity and body… beats your Blue Mountain hands down… Brunei coffee is mainly produced in the Dusun villages of Tutong.  They’re sold in the corner shops in understated packaging for about $3.80. Wicked stuff.  Also nyaman is Roti Bom, something I’ve just discovered recently. I’d seen it on menus eveywhere, but never had the courage to try it till a few weeks ago.  It’s basically your normal roti dough with melted butter, sugar and kaya (coconut and egg jam). The result is a sensationally sweet goo that oozes between the crispy hot roti skin.  This one I had as Asbah Tutong.

The following I had for dessert at RBC Seasons. Front left to right: Bingka Ros (Rose pudding), Fruit cake and Bingka Keladi (Yam pudding). Rock melon and water melon to finish.

Ani Nasi Katok di Waterfront Foodstalls in Tutong.  Coconut cream rice served with sambal belacan, fried little achovies, fried ground nuts, hardboiled eggs and a piece of fried chicken. All for a dollar!!

The same stall sells Cendol.  Little green worms that float in a creamy sweet sauce. Normally available during puasa, but this favourite can now be found in many restaurants all year round… it’s an … err… ‘evergreen’…  Another delicious version has palm sugar (gula anau) added.

‘Indomie’ is simply the tastiest instant noodle ever! It’s almost a national dish in Brunei, but I know for sure, this is the staple food in most school hostels. A bit of runny egg, and spicy baby clam would make it a bit more interesting.  Note Teh Tarik in frame.

This vespa is inedible of course, but i’ve put it here coz it’s my baby. An original 1962(?) restored Vespa shipped in from Bangkok. It’s got a sister that’s Pink in colour lurking in some garage somewhere in Panchor Papan, Tutong.  She’s just as good looking as this one.  I fell in love with the Vespa since I saw Jamie Oliver ride it- so that’s the remote connection to food here.  I met Jamie near Christmas 2004 in London and I shook his hand. Really nice down to earth bloke. Didn’t really say much to him coz i was a too starstruck to meet my idol.  He sold his off for some charity, but then he bought Habana Asprillia. Lawa. I want one too.  Check out my baby’s sexy behind.

More food pics next time.

makan lagi…

It’s first day of puasa… and uploading all these food pics is not doing me any favours…  Banar plg this blog was originally intended to highlight local foods, but im going to be liberal on that front and post pics of all kinds of interesting food that cross my path and get eaten along the way.  I do have a pile of pics of Bruneian delicacies waiting to be uploaded, but apparently they need some editing first. So wait. But here’s a few things that didn’t survive our encounter yesterday.

Roti Kawin, Teh tarik

Hmm u can tell i’m new at this.. cant bloody find the settings to rotate this pic!  This breakfast combo was consumed at UBD Foodcourt.  Ignore the half-eaten piece you see put back on the plate… my drinking partner hasnt graduated from charm school yet.

Below are what we devoured at the Korean restaurant in Kiulap over lunch. These little plates are appetizers consisting of sweet sesame achovies, blanched spinach, egg omellete, lotus, sweet potato, radish kimchi, proper kimchi and savoury longbeans. Tasty.

Appetizers

Then there was Kimchi prawn spicy soup.  Main course was Kimchi fried rice, and Beef and scallion pancake.  Really nyaman…

This kimchi fried rice was really good. I think there’s a hint

of ghee used in it that gives it that distinct flavour.

The pancake is nice and crispy.

Hello, sweetie!

Assalamualaikum and Hi guys!  This is my first attempt at uploading pics here, so let’s start with something sweet. I’ve deliberately chosen tonight 1st Ramadan, the Fasting Month, to kickstart things;  mainly to spite all you hungry people, but it’s actually an apt time to get this ‘foodblog’ going, as Ramadan really is the month of beautiful, beautiful grub…  so, feast your eyes on these babies, and more… and er… tuck in…!!

Bruneian treats