The Melanau tribe is one of the earliest settlers in Sarawak whom made up approximately 6% of Sarawak’s population. This ethnic group was originally referred as “Likou” in which it means ‘people of the river’.  The name “Melanau” was given by one of the King (Sultans) of Brunei to the inhabitants of the coastal swamp flats and riverbanks of central Sarawak in the 19th century.

 

Melanaus have “Sago” as their staple food in their diet. The sago palm was originally grown wild and was then cultivated by the Melanaus. “Umai” is one of the delicious uncooked dishes one could savor from.  “Umai” is the Sarawakian version Sashimi which requires no cooking and usually eaten raw, while “Tebaloi” is a traditional sago snack pleasant for tea time and usually accompanied by coffee or tea when serving it to the guest. Whereas the Sago Linut is traditionally the basic food in the Melanau’s diet and usually consumed together with hot soup and/or the local shrimp paste known as “sambal belacan”.

 

 

Umai was a traditional food for Melanau fisherman on their fishing trips to the ocean. They created this recipe due to it is dangerous to cook anything on the boat and the risk of the fire. This dish needs not to be cook and it can be easily prepared. The main ingredients required to make Umai are raw fish or prawns, salts, chilies, big onions and lime juice (calamansi). Besides, only certain type of fish is suitable to be used in making umai and the key factor to make a delicious umai is the freshness of fish. Empirang or mackerel fish are some of the suitable fish that can be used to prepare this dish.

 

 

Ingredient

Fresh meaty and boneless fish or prawns

Onions

Red chillies

Shallot

Lime juice (known as asam paya by the locals)

Ginger

Salt

Sugar

 

Methods of cooking

1. Clean the fish and remove the fish bones.

2. Fillet the fish into two parts and slice the fish into tiny pieces.

3. Prepare the marinating ingredients. (Chilies, ginger, shallots, big onions, lime juice)

4. Mix all the ingredients including salt, chilies, big onions and lime juice together with the sliced raw fish.

5. Soak the mixture for a short while. About 15 to 20 minutes.

6. And it is ready to be served. Best serve when chilled.

 

 

Linut, otherwise known as Sago Linut or Ambuyat, the sago starch is the staple or routine food in the diet of Melanaus which they have been eating for generations. Besides, Penan and the locals in Brunei are some of other indigenous communities whom also share this as common staple food. Before cooking it, the flour is mixed with water and put under the sun. The starch is usually being eaten hot, hence hot water should be poured into the milky starch right before dinner and stir it immediately until it turns into light brown and becomes a thick and translucent paste. The traditional way of eating Linut is with a bamboo to twirl the gummy paste and dip into chili sauce. It can be consume with either hot soup or may eat it with sambal belacan.

 

 

Ingredient

Fresh sago flour

Boiling water

 

Hot soup

Lemongrass

Garlic

Shallot

Anchovies

Fermented Durian (known as “Tempoyak” by the local)

Water

Cooking oil

Ginger

Salt

Chicken stock cube *optional

 

Methods of cooking

A) Sago Linut

1. To prepare sago linut, you can either use poured boiling water, or boiling water in a pot.

2. Method 1) Hot Water - 2 person needed. One person to pour hot water and another person to stir. Add in normal water first to make it watery and doesn't turn into starch too soon. Then add in hot water, and stir continuously until all the sago turn clear and gooey.

 

Method 2) Add normal temperature water to sago in a pot (approx. 1 sago-1 1/2 water content). Heat the pot using small-medium heat and stir. Keep stirring until all the sago turn clear and gooey. Add more water if necessary. If too gooey, stir further until desired thickness.

3. Put aside and let it cool down.

 

B) The soup

1. Heat cooking oil. Saute garlic, shallot and ginger until fragrant.

2. Fry the anchovies.

3. Add water and lemongrass.

4. When the water boiled, add salt, tempoyak, chicken stock cube to taste.