Sarawak Cuisine

Sarawak Laksa. Sarawak Laksa is the most commonly found Sarawakian food. It was a favorite among Sarawakian from Chinese and Malay decent. It has a base of Sambal belacan, sour tamarind, garlic, galangal, lemon grass and coconut milk, topped with omelette strips, chicken strips, prawns, fresh coriander and optionally lime. Ingredients such as bean sprouts, (sliced) fried tofu or other seafood are not traditional but are sometimes added. Non-Halal Sarawak Laksa can be found at most Chinese coffee shops while Halal Sarawak Laksa can be found at most Malay coffee shops (and some Mamak too). Halal and non-Halal Sarawak Laksa don't have so much difference, except with the usage of halal chicken meat, and the cooking utensils used by the cook. Chinese-version of Sarawak Laksa has less thicker gravy but rich with condiments and toppings, while Malay-version of Sarawak Laksa has thicker gravy but more 'taugeh' (or beansprouts).

Kolok Mee. Kolok Mee is a type of noodle dish commonly found in Sarawak. It is served throughout the day - for breakfast, lunch or even supper (though some eateries only serve kolok mee until noon because supplies run out). It is made of egg noodle, blanched in water that looks like instant noodle and served in a light sauce with some condiments like sliced pork, chicken cutlets, minced meat or sometimes (quite rare) shredded beef. The difference between Kolok Mee and Wantan Mee, which is popular in the Peninsula, is that Kolok Mee is not drenched in dark soy sauce and water is not added to the noodles when served. Kolok mee comes in two common flavors: plain or seasoned with red sauce (cooks tend to seasoned kolok mee with red sauce when they are served with pork). Occasionally, diners can also request their kolok mee to be seasoned with soy sauce, to give the dish a darker appearance and enhance its saltiness.

Manok Pansoh. Manok Pansoh is the most common dish among Iban. It is a chicken dish which normally be eaten with white rice. Chicken pieces are cut and stuffed into the bamboo together with other ingredients like mushrooms, lemongrass, tapioca leaves etc and cooked over an open fire - similar to the way lemang is cooked. This natural way of cooking seals in the flavours and produces astonishingly tender chicken with a gravy perfumed with lemongrass and bamboo. Manok Pansoh cannot be found easily in all restaurants and coffee shops. Some restaurants require advanced booking of Manok Pansoh dish prior to your arrival.