Sabah Cuisine

A taste of Sabah...

Over the last twenty years or so, Western consciousness and knowledge of the quality and joys of South-East Asian food has grown considerably and one of the many pleasures of travelling to Sabah is the opportunity to sample some wonderful local food. However if exotic cuisine does not appeal to you, your partner or your children don’t despair as there are other options which we’ll come to later!

Sabahan cuisine is based on staples such as rice, which is produced locally in Sabah along with locally grown vegetables but comes with a wide variety of eclectic ingredients and different methods of food preparation that are representative of the multi-ethnic population.

There are of course many places to eat from five star hotels through to air-conditioned restaurants but if you’re in the older part of KK around Gaya Street or indeed in towns outside of KK you’re more than likely to come across Kedai Kopi restaurants which translates from Malay as 'Coffee Shop'. Open-fronted and usually fitted with fans these are places frequented by both locals and visitors alike. Some are run by Malay and some by Malaysian-Chinese and if you’d like an authentic local experience than this is the place for you. Nearly all have character, and you’re never far from the action in the kitchen. Chances are you’ll be served quickly and that it will be good as there’s loads of options of ‘Where to eat’ and this competition helps to keep standards high.

So here are a few local dishes you may like to try whilst you’re in Sabah. Enjoy!

Nasi Lemak

Must start with Malaysia’s national dish Nasi Lemak which is Malay fragrant rice cooked in coconut milk and the leaf of a tropical plant known as Pandan. It’s normally accompanied by a boiled egg, anchovies and chilli paste and is a popular breakfast dish.

Tuaran Mee

Named after the town of Tuaran some 50km north of KK, this is one of Sabah’s most popular noodle dishes and comprises fried egg noodles, pork egg roll, Char Siu (barbequed pork slices) and locally grown Choy sum vegetables.

Banmian

Homemade egg noodles served in a soup containing anchovies and served with pork, onions and a local spinach-like veggie that complements the dish beautifully and which grows in the fertile soil of Tambunan and Ranau near Kinabalu National Park. The dish originated from the Hakka and Hokkien peoples of China; light but filling this is a delicious dish for breakfast or lunch.

Satay

 Delicious skewered strips of chicken and beef cooked on an open charcoal fuelled barbeque. Due to the open fire and accompanying smoke satay is always cooked on the edge or outside of the Kedai Kopi which is a piece of theatre all in itself. The sauce contains crushed peanut paste, coconut milk, soy sauce and red chilli to give it a little bit of a ‘kick’ but often the precise recipe is a closely guarded secret handed down generation to generation. Order with a little bit of bread and rice accompaniment to dip in the sauce, delicious with either.

Laksa

Spicy noodle soup often accompanied by seafood such as prawns. There are a number of theories regarding the origin of laksa and it may well have originated in Chinese coastal settlements hundreds of years ago with local merchants then introducing the dish to different parts of South-East Asia as they traded. Whatever the origin, this dish with a curry soup base, coconut milk and rice vermicelli is highly recommended and locals talk reverentially about restaurants that serve good laksa.

Seafood

Very popular with both locals and visitors, unsurprisingly the seafood is excellent in Sabah, and of course fresh as its caught locally in Kota Kinabalu and the small fishing town of Kudat some 170km north of KK.  Lobster, crab, tiger prawns, shellfish and locally caught fish (delicious when steamed) are all recommended and some restaurants have steamboats where customers can prepare their own dish!

Bak Kuh Teh

Translates from Chinese (Hokkien) as “Meat Bone Tea” and consists of pork ribs simmered in a broth-like soup containing many herbs and spices including cinnamon, cloves and star anise. The dish doesn’t actually contain any tea and some say that Bak Kuh Teh is something of an acquired taste. Certainly if you enjoy this dish, you’re well on your way to being considered a local!

Fruit

We reckon that there are in excess of 25 different fruits that are grown locally that make the most of tropical Sabah’s climate. Fruit is hugely popular here, and for the locals often acts as a dessert.  Accordingly you’ll see many ‘Fruit & Veg’ stalls at every tamu (Open Market); the fruit isn’t always as uniform and pretty as that which you’d see in a western supermarket however the freshness and taste is fantastic. Our suggestion is that you try fruits that you’d only find in specialist shops in the west, if at all. Rambutan, Jackfruit and the ‘Queen of Fruits’ the Mangosteen all come highly recommended.

I hope this has provided a ‘taste’ of some of the cuisine opportunities in Sabah but if you or your travelling companions are a little more conservative don’t fret. The major hotels all have very good international breakfast, lunch and dinner buffets, there are of course restaurants and bars in KK where you can eat pizza or ‘Pub Grub’ to your hearts content and there are also bakers shops selling buns, cakes etc. Oh and of course all the global fast-food brands are here.

For vegetarians, there’s an increasing level of understanding and consciousness coupled with a growing number of vegetarian restaurants and you can still eat 'local' but vegetarian, for example tofu (bean-curd) is a very popular food to base dishes on for vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike.

Whatever your taste, we’re confident that you’ll enjoy food in Sabah.

Blue Kinabalu Tours of Sabah