Sarawak

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 bambo 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.

Bubur Pedas

originated from sarawak. unlike many other porridge that we know, bubur pedas is cooked with a specially prepared paste. it is quite spicy thanks to its ingredients, which include spices, turmeric, lemon grass, galangal, chillies, ginger, coconut and shallots. like the famous bubur lambuk of kuala lumpur, bubur pedas is exclusive dish prepared during the month of ramadan and served during the breaking of fast. so don't expect to eat bubur pedas at anytime you want!

Umai

Umai is a raw fish salad popular among various ethnic groups of sarawak, especially the melanaus. in fact, umai is a traditional working lunch for the melanau fishermen. umai is prepared raw from freshly caught fish, iced but not frozen. main species used include mackerel, bawal hitam and umpirang. it is made mainly of thin slivers of raw fish, thinly sliced onions, chilli, salt and the juice of sour fruits like lime or assam. it is usually accompanied by a bowl of toasted sago pearls instead of rice. its simplicity makes it a cinch for fishermen to prepare it aboard their boats. umai jeb, a raw fish salad without other additional spices, is famous among bintulu melanaus. however, it is rarely prepared in kuching. you can try umai when you eat 'nasi campur' during lunch hours in kuching. most coffee shops, especially malay or bumiputera-owned one, served umai daily for 'nasi campur'.

Midin

originated from sarawak. the locals greatly indulge in jungle fern such as the midin quite similar to pucuk paku that is popular in the peninsular. midin is much sought after for its crisp texture and great taste. midin is usually served in two equally delicious ways - fried with either garlic or belacan. you can try midin when you eat 'nasi campur' during lunch hours in kuching. most coffee shops, served midin daily for 'nasi campur'.

Nasik Aruk

originated from sarawak. nasik aruk is a traditional sarawakian malay fried rice. unlike nasi goreng, nasik aruk does not use any oil to fry the rice. the ingredients are garlic, onion and anchovies, fried to perfection with very little oil and then the cook will put the rice in. the rice must be fried for longer time compared to frying rice for nasi goreng for the smokey/slightly-burnt taste to absorb into the rice. it is a common to see nasik aruk in the food menu list at malay and mamak coffee shops and stalls.

While the Malay, Chinese and Indian favorites covered in Malaysia#Eat are widely available in East Malaysia as well, there is also a broad selection of local ethnic cuisine.