Category Archives: Sarawak

celebration, Chinese New Year, Food, Sarawak, Sarikei, Sarikei

My Trip Back to Sarikei for CNY 2013

February 27, 2013 thammelissa 22 Comments

So fast CNY has over. But my mind still stuck in this festive season lar. Can’t CNY be 1 month? hehe….

HB and I often travel few days earlier before the CNY to avoid the crowd and also the expensive air fare.

While most of my friends were at work, I say goodbye to KL. Making many of them feel envious :-p soli lor….

We missed the cheap fare which fly directly to Sibu. Therefore we took the alternative way by going to Kuching then from there took another flight to Sibu in the late afternoon. Alex’s friend, Frankie who is in Kuching brought us here for the nice Sarawak Laksa. I also had a bowl of “Tian Miang Ngu” which look like our ‘min fun kou’ but they taste differently.

Frankie also brought us to this place selling lots of Kek Lapis (Sarawak Layer Cakes). Here, you can sample varieties of kek lapis for free. Very attractive isn’t it? But some are quite dry. I did not buy much, because Alex said MIL has ordered alot for the CNY. I still have those cakes in my fridge ler…next year kena tell MIL not to buy so much for us edi 😉

When I reached Sarikei, what I must eat the following day is the Kampua Noodle! I do know there some people in West Malaysia prefer Wantan Mee over this. For me…I think I like both of them also la..cos they are different!

Also not forgetting the Kolok Mee. I will never miss having both of them!

Although Sarikei is famed for its pineapple, but I seldom eat. Too cooling for me. Trust me..the pineapples there are very sweet!

Other then pineapple, Sarikei is also famed for its pepper. Have you seen a real pepper plant? I meant before they were process. I often come back to buy their pepper. And I noticed each time I buy, the price also increased 😦

A day before eve of CNY, followed MIL to a CNY bazaar at Nyelong.

It was a wet CNY. Luckily the rain stopped while on our way to the bazaar and I noticed this rainbow. I feel joyful each time I sees a rainbow.

Beautiful orange sky at about 7pm.

Have you ever seen this kind of dish served in a fast food outlet? Yes..you can only get this from Sugarbun Sarawak! I also never fail patronizing this place whenever I return Sarikei. I seldom order the burger but will normally order the fried chicken with their special rice.

On one afternoon, we skipped lunch and felt hungry later. So, MIL steamed these plump and meaty ‘siew mai‘.

Family reunion dinner. Some of it are bought from restaurant and some are prepared at home. Too much of food, we couldn’t finish all.

People were launching Kongming Deng (Sky Lantern).

It was like a fireworks competition on eve of CNY. Watched them for free. Unfortunately I sprained my knee when I was running back home when a firework at our neighborhood went haywire. *so dangerous* 😦

As usual, we will go friends house visiting (pai nien) on first day of CNY, after having a bowl of mee suah.

Time flies…its time for me to return to my own hometown. I traveled back on 2nd day of CNY. Beautiful sky leading my way to Sibu airport.

Before traveling back…I want to have these for my breakfast! Kampua, pig’s liver soup and bien nuk! Will miss them for several months lu…

MIL knows I like midin. She bought a few bunch for me (they are nicely wrapped in layers of newspaper) and that night we had stir fry midin (cooked with garlic, ginger & red rice wine) for dinner.

For more food photos and places in Sarikei, do refer to my previous post:-

Food, Sarawak, Sarikei, Sarikei, Travel

Yummy Food I Had in Sarikei

September 20, 2011 thammelissa 10 Comments

Earlier I shared some photos on Sarikei, Sarawak. Now I would like to share some yummy food I had there. Never miss a chance to savor the local cuisine. Some West Malaysians may find that the food here do not suit their taste bud. But to me, I find it no problem at all. Hence I enjoyed tasting different types of food from different places. Apart from admiring scenery, best part about traveling is on FOOD!

Sarikei is popular for “Kam Pua noodles” (干拌面). There are 2 version. It can be either white or black. Black means addition of black soy sauce. The black version is commonly seen in Sarikei. You may say it looks like wantan mee. However the taste is different. Major ingredients are fried onions, shallots, lard, and red yeast wine that make it so unique. (Kampua from Full Tien Cafe, Jln Masjid Lama)

Kolok Mee; another noodle which I never fail to have one. Love visiting the same eatery for this kolok mee. You may be wondering what is the difference between the above 2 noodles. A blogger once explained to me that; “Kam pua noodles are also thicker and less curly than kolo mee. Kam pua’s ingredients are quite standard but kolo mee’s toppings varies from stall to stall.” (Kolok Mee from New Elfa, Bank Road)

Dabai Fruit, is a seasonal fruit. I’ve never seen it here in West Malaysia. The Sarawakian likes it very much. Unfortunately not really my liking.

Look here for more info:- DABAI FRUIT

Wild fern called “Midin” can easily get it here. It is grow wild in swamps or forests. Each bunch are price at from RM1-2. Its crunchy and best cooking method would be stir fry with belacan & dried shrimp or a simpler method with just chopped garlic and ginger with drench of red rice wine. I was told that it turn black pretty fast. Best consume on the same day after purchase. However I managed to bring a few bunch back here to KL.

Know more about Midin HERE

Stir Fried Midin with Red Rice Wine – my favorite!

“Bien Nuik”(扁肉): The local version of the “wan tan” or dumpling stuffed with minced meat. (from Chin San Cafe, Jalan Masjib Lama)

Fried Kuey Teow with Tomato. Similar to “Wat Tan Hor” but taste slightly different.

Mee Goreng with Beef (from Aik Seng Cafe, Wharf Road)

Pig’s Liver Soup. Best accompanied with a bowl of noodle. The pig’s liver were not overcooked. Therefore it has a nice texture. (from Full Tien Cafe, Jln Masjid Lama)

“Zhou Cai Hung Ngan” (糟菜粉干): Preserved mustard cooked with rice noodles soup.

Sarawak Laksa. Usually uses rice vermicelli noodle. 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 local lime. Ingredients such as bean sprouts, (sliced) fried tofu or other seafood are sometimes added.(from Aik Seng Cafe, Wharf Road)

Sarawak Laksa (from another shop) – (near JPJ)

Roti Kahwin. A charcoal grilled bun sandwiched with creamy peanut butter, a slice of butter & spread of fragrant coconut jam(kaya). (from Aik Seng, Wharf Road)

Stir Fried Rice Cakes with minced pork and leek (from Lucky Restaurant, Jalan Nyelong, opposite Nyelong River market)

“Tian Miang Ngu”(鼎边糊): The rice slices soup, cooks cooked around the rim of the wok. Added with mu er (black fungus), minced pork balls and cuttlefish (octopus)slices. Best served with pepper, similar as Taiwan’s 鼎邊銼. The soup stock is made using pork bones and dried squid.(kinda look like min fun kou) – (near JPJ)

Prawn Mee (from Peking Restaurant, Jakar Town). Priced at RM20/bowl. A very expensive prawn mee. However it was very delicious. Using yellow egg noodle, with tasty and fres big head prawn makes a superb soup.

Famous Rojak from Bintangor.

Last but not least, Mother in Law’s yummy Red Rice Wine Mee Suah. Mee Suah or they called as longevity noodle(due to the long strand), commonly eaten here during auspicious day. Example; Chinese New Year, Wedding, Birthday. Its usually practiced by Hokkiens and Fuzhounese.

Photography, Sarawak, Sarikei

Back from Sarikei, Sarawak

September 19, 2011 thammelissa 14 Comments

I was away the past whole week. Together with Alex, we returned to Sarikei, Sarawak – Alex’s hometown. To reach Sarikei, we took 2 hours flight from KL and reaches Sibu Airport. From there, we traveled on road for 1 hour only to reach Sarikei town. I understand that many of you may not familiar with this place. Majority of the Chinese in Sarikei are Foochow dialect. If you ask me, can I speak Foochow language? Hmm…I would say a little. hehe….. It took me quite sometime to grasp part of it.

“Sarikei Division is one of the eleven administrative divisions in Sarawak, east Malaysia, located on the island of Borneo. Formerly part of the Third Division, which included Sibu and Kapit, Sarikei Division has a total area of 4,332.4 square kilometers, and is the second smallest of the administrative divisions of Sarawak.

Sarikei Division contains four administrative districts: Sarikei, Meradong, Julau and Pakan. The total population is 116,290. The population is ethnically mixed, with mostly Iban, Melanau, Malay and Chinese predominating.

The economy of the division is mostly agricultural. Sarikei Division produces more pepper than any other divisions in Sarawak. It is also famous for fruits, especially pineapples and oranges. The timber industry, as elsewhere in Sarawak, is also a major component of the local economy.“ (source from Wikipedia)

Would love to share some photos on landscape, buildings and people.

The first Pineapple Statue in Sarikei town located at Repok Road

Sarikei, better known as the Pineapple town that produces juicy and sweet pineapples.

Pepper plantation

Oranges

Traders selling local fruits along the road. It was season of Durian & Langsat.

An old couple selling Dabai Fruit

Bus Terminal at Bank Road

An old bicycle shop

An old hut located at former Nyelong River ferry jetty, operated for decades.

Sarikei Mosque located at Jalan Masjib Baru. Was told that it was completed since 1979.

St Anthony’s Church at Repok Road

Methodish Town Church at Repok Road

Majority of the resident here are Christians. Therefore you can see many churches.

The government quarters

Wooden Houses

Iban Longhouse at Sungei Minus, Jakar. The Ibans dwell in longhouses, stilted structures with a large number of rooms housing a whole community of families.