Daun Sabong @ Daun Dodah @ Daun Melinjo

This leafy edible plant is called daun Sabong (Iban), daun Dodah (Bidayuh) or daun Melinjo with scientific name Gnetum gnemon*. This wild plant can normally be found at a secondary jungle in Sabah and Sarawak.
 However, the leafy young shoot which is brownish in color can also become a nice vegetable dish especially cook stir-fried with shrimp paste. The leaf is slightly slimy in texture when cooked, with subtle and unique flavor.

Pokok Daun Sabong or Daun Melinjo

Daun Sabong or Daun Dodah

Melinjo seed is commonly consumed and made into craker or keropok. This nutty seed can also be added into the vegetable dish. The cooked seed kernel however need to be discarded in order to get into the nutty part. As kids, we would scoured for the seed first as we considered it as our winning prize.

Masakan Daun Sabung

Ingredient:
1. Fresh daun sabong - wash and cut at about 1 inch
2. Pounded Cooking base
3. Salt to taste
4. Cooking oil for saute
5. Anchovies
6. A bit of water

Optional:
1. Bamboo shoot
2. Fresh sabong seed

Method:
1. Fry anchovies until crispy. Set aside
2. Saute cooking base until fragrant
3. Add in daun sabong. Stir.
4. Add in a bit of water if slightly dry.
5. Add in salt to taste.

*(credit to Dr Alex Sayok for the information)

Umai Obor-Obor

Jellyfish Umai (ceviche) 

Preserved Jellyfish

This is a preserved jellyfish which can be commonly found in wet markets in Sarawak especially Sibu, Bintulu and Miri. It is another popular type of umai which is originated from Melanau ethnic. It is sold in brine water and can last very long. I bought the above at RM18/half kilo, and for 3-4 pax, I just needed about 200gm of this jellyfish which cost me about RM7.

Preparation of this preserved jellyfish umai is pretty simple, it only needs to be soaked in clean water for about 1-2 hours to remove the saltiness, and will be prepared as how other umai are done, except of adding salt in its seasoning.

Umai Obor-Obor (Jellyfish Umai)

This ceviche-like dish is great for appetizer.

Ingredient:

1. 200gm preserved Jellyfish
2. 2cm ginger - julienne finely
3. 2 cloves garlic- slice finely
4. 2 Shallot - slice finely
5. 1 Chili - slice finely
6. 10 nos. calamansi lime - take the juice 
7. Sugar to taste
8. Half a small onion - slice finely

Pounded ingredient
1. 1cm ginger, 1 clove garlic, 2 shallots, 2 bird's eye chilies

Method:
1. Soak preserved jellyish in water for half to 1 hour to wash of the saltiness. Slice finely
2. Mix all ingredient together with the pounded ingredient. Add sugar to taste
3. Serve

Pucuk Paku Kubok @ Uban

Sword Fern (Nephrolepis acutifolia) 

Pucuk Paku Kubok or Uban

Until recent years, with the exception of the Ibans, not many knows that this wild sword fern are edible and organic vegetable and equally delightful as pucuk paku, or midin, although slightly bitter uncooked. This sword fern with scientific name Nephrolepis acutifolia can be found abundantly throughout the country. This wild fern has slowly start to get recoqnition through cross-cultural communication & close integration of the communities in Sarawak.

A simple cooking for this sword fern shall be stir-frying with belacan (shrimp paste). Sliced torch ginger can be added to add additional flavor to this dish. This vegetable are great as it is not easily overcooked, and it is crunchy too.

Pucuk Paku Kubok or Uban Goreng Belacan 
Sword Fern Stir-Fried in Shrimp Paste

Pucuk Paku Kubok@Uban Goreng Stir-Fried Belacan

Ingredient:
1. A handful of sword fern, cleaned and cut into 2inch (soft shoot only). Parboiled and drain if prefered.
2. Cooking base - pounded
3. 1/4 cup of anchovies
4. Salt to taste
5. Cooking oil for saute

Method:
1. Heat up oil. Fry anchovies and put aside
2. Saute the pounded cooking base until fragrant
3. Add sword fern and stir. If not parboiled, you may cook slightly longer than other ferns to reduce the slime texture and bitterness.
4. Add-in back the anchovies.
5. You may add-in a little bit of water if its too dry.
6. Season with salt to taste

Buah Dabai & Nasi Goreng Dabai

Dabai Fruit & Dabai Fried Rice

Buah dabai, with its scientific name as Canarium odontophyllum, is very unique to Sarawak. A very good information for buah Dabai can be found at this site.

Many of my friends and ex-colleagues from Peninsular Malaysia, including Sabah were curious about this seasonal fruit and asked me how it tasted, but it was something that is very difficult to describe and has to be experienced personally. It does not have distinct smell, however it relies on the taste of the flesh which is creamy and soft in texture. One will either love it, or won't get it as it is actually an acquired taste. It took me almost 3 seasons (3 years) to actually get the idea of what dabai is about. And when I finally got it, I was madly in love with it.

Buah Dabai

Not just the flesh can be consumed, but the seed inside the kernel can also be eaten. However, as it may be a bit troublesome to crack the tough kernel, normally it is just discarded.

Simple Preparation for Buah Dabai 

Method: 
1. Soak with hot water for 10-15mins*see revisit note below
2. Drain.
3. Add soy sauce and salt to taste. Optional sugar
4. Eaten by itself or with white rice.

*If the flesh turn purplish, the dabai is overcooked.

Dabai Fried Rice

Nasi Goreng Dabai

This is my own version of Dabai Fried rice. You can cook it the way you like it as long as the dabai is pre-soaked in hot water and deseeded.

Ingredient:
1. Buah Dabai - soaked in hot water for 10-15 mins. Drain, pit the flesh and add salt.
2. 2 cloves garlic
3. 2 nos. shallot
4. Bird's eye chili
5. Salt for seasoning
6. Cool or overnight rice
7. Cooking oil

Optional
1. Oyster sauce
2. Fish sauce in replacement of salt

Method:
1. Saute garlic and shallot until fragrant.
2. Add in dabai and chilli. Stir.
3. Add in rice. Mix well.
4. Season with salt and/or oyster sauce.
5. Serve hot.

*Revisit : A better way to prep buah dabai is to add half of room-temperature water, then half with boiling water. Pls ensure water is covering the whole dabai. When dabai is soft, it's ready to be consumed. Prepare this way will ensure dabai will cooked away slowly and the creaminess is preserved.