KUCHING: Kuching Waterfront Jazz Festival goers will get to enjoy Sarawak’s heritage cuisine on sale for two days from Friday, September 28. The Sarawak Culinary Adventure is organised by Sarawak Culinary Heritage Committee to support the Kuching Waterfront Jazz Festival (KWJF). Offering an array of local foods ranging from bubur pedas, tumpek, oyster omelettes to dry packed snacks, patrons will get to enjoy a delectable spread of delicious home cooked cuisine prepared by seven vendors from the Malay, Melanau, Bidayuh, Kelabit, Teochew, Foochow and Indian communities of Sarawak.
Stalls featuring chicken and lamb meatballs with spicy tangy potatoes, fusion dish of laksa marinated chicken boxing, “Sarawak burgers” of Kompia and Mantou stuffed with Foochow Ang Chau Chicken and Siok Mansuh (Bidayuh chicken in the bamboo) with fried tempoyak and fried bamboo shoots.
The Kelabit vendors will be preparing “‘Nuba Laya”, the favourite mashed Kelabit rice wrapped in leaves, pounded tapioca leaves with wild palm shoots (Udung Ubih Ubud Tubu’ Buen), sambal petai, ‘Ab’eng Luang’ or dry fried pickled fish and “Labo Sentuk” which is pulled tenderised beef jerky. Other items on sale at the Kelabit stall will be Bario rice and other Borneo rice varieties as well as the all time favourite Kelabit Cinnamon Cookies.
The Sarawak Culinary Heritage Committee has organised several culinary heritage events supporting events such as the Rainforest World Music Festival, WAK and Rainforest Fringe Festival. Chairperson of the Sarawak Culinary Heritage Committee, Datin Dona Drury Wee said, “We would like visitors to sample our traditional and heritage cuisines which is so much a part of our culture.
“Our efforts to ensure we keep our traditions alive and to offer our social entrepreneurs this opportunity to take part in international events such as KWJF will help sustain Sarawak’s culinary heritage.
This is the first time we are participating in the KWJF and we hope to be able to expand to include a wider array of heritage food next year,” she said.
