Kuching Trip 20-22 Jan 2011 (Part IV) - Food: Local Delicacies

Photos courtesy of David Bates. :)
 
Laksa Sarawak
 
I've been craving for AUTHENTIC Laksa Sarawak for as long as I stay in Klang Valley. Now who can resist a bowl of steaming, fragrant curried broth with beehoon and topped with fresh prawns, beansprouts, slices of omelet, chicken breast meat, and fresh coriander? I can't! I'm more than happy to savor every spoonful and lick my bowl clean in the end. By the way, before you dig into your bowl of slurpy-licious laksa, remember to add these two must-have condiments: lime juice and special chili paste.

Belacan Beehoon
 
A good plate of Belacan Beehoon consists of beehoon, sweet chili paste, belacan paste, beansprouts, cucumber slices, and cuttlefish. Being able to savor Belacan Beehoon without fuss is not easy. It's indeed an acquired taste. For those who can't stand the taste of watered-down belacan, you might find this dish repulsive.

Mee Sapi (Beef Noodles)
 
Sarawak's Mee Sapi is another one of my favorite noodles dishes. Mee Sapi is generally handmade noodles served in mild-flavored herbal broth cooked with different beef cutlets and topped with fresh coriander. If you compare Mee Sapi to its sister dish, Seremban's sticky beef noodles, I still prefer this dish.

Tomato Crispy Mee (Chinese Style)
 
Look at those huge prawns sitting on a bed of crispy mee soaked in flavorful tomato-based broth. I'm salivating just by reminiscing the delightful sweet-and-sour taste of this special dish.

Kueh Chap
 
Kueh Chap is a dish of flat rice sheets served in a bowl of herbal broth cooked from pork and different part of porky innards - pork belly, intestines, etc. This is heaven-sent food for all pork lovers!

Kuching Kolo Mee
 
A simple yet delicious dish of handmade noodles tossed with lard and topped with char siew, fried shallots, and vegetables. If you want to try the "red"-colored kolo mee, ask for char siew oil. Kolo Mee seems to be the staple food for Kuching-ites.

By the way, Kampua, mostly found in Sibu and Bintulu is Kolo Mee's sister dish. I'll write about that when I'm back in Bintulu for Chinese New Year holidays in February.

Hakka Pork Mee
 
Similar to Kolo Mee. See those crispy fried lard? I bet you want to have a bowl right now!

Hakka Lamb Mee
 
This surprisingly flavorful and deliciously rich dish is David's favorite. It's braised lamb chops served with handmade noodles in thick broth.

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Now let's take a look at some of their famous drinks.

3-Layer Tea
 
You can find this in Klang Valley nowadays. The bottom layer is pandan syrup, the middle layer is evaporated milk, and the top layer is tea.

Wheatgrass with Evaporated Milk
 
I love this drink! Locals order them as Wheatgrass Si Peng - "Si" means evaporated milk and "Peng" means iced.

Sugarcane Topped with Coconut Flesh
 
What more can I say? It's indeed a great thirst-quenching drink.

White Lady
 
One of the infamous local shaved ice desserts, good for supper. It's called White Lady because the top whitish part is made from condensed milk mixed with shaved ice. You'll also find longan and pineapple cubes.

Matterhorn

This is another one of the infamous local shaved ice desserts. No milk is added and it's delightfully sourish with lots of longan, pineapple cubes, grass jelly, and transparent gelatine strips.

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More photos on my Facebook albums:
Kuching Trip 20-22 Jan 2011 (Part IV) - Food Galore

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Other related posts:

• Kuching Trip 20-22 Jan 2011 (Part I) - Lodging
• Kuching Trip 20-22 Jan 2011 (Part II) - Places of Interests in Kuching City Center
• Kuching Trip 20-22 Jan 2011 (Part III) - Food: Pansuh Manok (Bamboo Chicken)
• Kuching Trip 20-22 Jan 2011 (Part V) - Borneo's Gourmet Coffee
• Kuching Trip 20-22 Jan 2011 (Part VI) - Sarawak's Natural Beauty