It's time to participate in ASEAN Hive Community Challenge! The theme for round #25 is BIZARRE FOOD. Oh my, I am sure the rest of the ASEAN community members have their version of bizarre foods. South East Asia is the most diverse region in the world, a melting pot of countless multi-ethnic, multi-religious, and multi-lingual people. Therefore, I hope to see plenty of entries for this challenge.
I look forward to reading everyone's entry and learning something new from the other community members.
I didn't have to think long and hard for ideas. I have too many ideas I had a difficult time choosing what food to include in this post. But finally, I zeroed it down to two exotic food found in Borneo, specifically Sarawak and Sabah. However, I was having difficulty looking for photos because I don't cook this food and only get to enjoy them whenever I am back in my hometown in Sarawak. Two of the pictures belong to me personally, but I had to source the rest from the Internet with proper credit, of course.
So let's check them out!
❤️ Tinduh a.k.a Sago Grub ❤️
Sago grub, known as 'tinduh' by the Ibans, is the snout beetle's larvae that consume sago palm. This beetle is also called the sago palm weevil. The grub is fat and looks disgustingly like a giant maggot. Yikes! But despite its hideousness, this fat creamy yellow worm is nutritious and rich in protein. If you think they are filthy, sago grub is very clean because they only feed on and live inside sago pith. As a young child, I loved playing with the grubs. I thought they were very cute 😍
However, sago grub is consumed only within certain Sarawak and Sabah communities. Not everyone likes it and well, you can't fault them for being grossed out. I think sago grub is quite common in the Philippines, but please correct me if I am wrong.
Sago grub can be consumed raw. That's right. You can put them alive, wiggling in your mouth, and chew out the fatty bit. I never try it personally, but some people prefer to eat it as a snack while having a drink with their buddies. You can see this dude doing that in this video. Eeeeekkk....
The best way to eat it is to stir-fried it with garlic, chili, and ginger, drenched in light soy sauce, as you see in the pictures.
Image credit: personal photo
Image credit: Facebook
And if you are creative like this guy, you can ditch the capsicum, prawns, pineapples, and use sago grubs as your pizza topping 😁
Image credit: Facebook
❤️ Lelitak a.k.a Onch Slug Or The Abalone of Sarawak ❤️
And now, I want to introduce to you Sarawak's most exotic food, known by the Ibans as 'lelitak'. But mind you, this food is not widely found throughout Sarawak but only in the southern region in Sri Aman and the whole Saribas division (where I am originally from). I am sure not even Sarawakians are aware of its existence except for the Dayaks living in the abovementioned areas.
So what on earth is lelitak? It's not abalone though it has been called Sarawak abalone by some. It's not a leech though many believe it is. Nope. Nope. It is a type of slug, onch slug to be exact. Ooh...I just realized it's so rare it doesn't have an entry on Wikipedia. But I found this information somewhere on the Internet.
Onch slugs belong to Phylum Mollusca and are snails of the Class Gastropoda that lack shells. Where seen? Onch slugs are common on all our shores, on algae-covered rocks or other hard surfaces, or on mud in mangroves or mangrove tree roots. But they are often well hidden especially on a hot day, or well camouflaged even when moving about in the open. ~ WildSingapore
They live among the mangroves and are more commonly seen on cool mornings or evenings. I have never gone out in the mud to look for them among the rocks, but it's a common activity for my village folks.
Image credit: personal photo
So how do we cook them? Well, you have to cut the gut out and clean them thoroughly. Lelitak lives in the mud, so they are muddy and have to be cleaned thoroughly with water. The process of cleaning it can be very tedious and only those who love to eat it has the patience to take on the task. Watch how this guy did it from start to finish.
There are two common ways to cook them. Mix them with some leafy vegetables for a sumptuous soup or stir fry with lemongrass, turmeric powder, and some soy sauce.
How does it taste like? It has a chewy texture like snails or French escargot. But I have never eaten escargot so I am just assuming. But it does taste a bit like "siput sedut" (fresh water snails) with an earthiness reminiscent of mushrooms. In short, it's yummy and I am salivating as I typed this 🤣.
Image credit: Facebook
Image credit: Facebook
Okay that's all for my entry for this week's challenge. I was thinking of adding another one, 'hinava' or 'umai', but the food isn't specific to the Ibans but belongs to other tribes like the Melanau in Sarawak and Kadazan-Dusun in Sabah. I wanted to showcase exotic foods that truly belongs to my people so that you can have a glimpse of Iban's culture 😃.
That's it for now. If you read this far, thank you. I appreciate it so much! Kindly give me a follow if you like my content. I mostly write about making art, life musing, and our mundane yet charming family life here in Klang Valley, Malaysia.
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