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‘The nuts (from the seeds of the dabai fruit) are edible and taste as good as pistachios and if fully harnessed, it can be an innovation that can be enhanced to be another product’- Deputy Premier, Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas.
Not many kings in the world or even Malaysian kings can claim to have tasted Sarawak’s prized dabai fruit.
However, later this month, on September 12 to be exact, Malaysia’s very own King or Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah will have the opportunity to taste this seasonal delicacy native to Borneo for the very first time. That is, if His Majesty has never tasted it before.
The dabai is a glossy black fruit with yellow flesh. After being soaked in warm water, the fruit, often described as Sarawak’s own olive, is usually eaten with salt or soya sauce as part of a meal or a savoury snack.
In Sibu, where the fruits are aplenty in December, the dabai or canarium odontophyllum may be sold for RM20 to RM30 per kg, depending on the quality. Elsewhere, in other towns, the fruits are sold at exorbitant prices because of the transportation costs and profits that traders have to make.
At the beginning of the harvesting season, the fruits in Sibu are more expensive because of the law of supply and demand.
During the off-season, the fruits are also expensive because of the law of supply and demand. They can fetch up to RM95 a kilogramme or even more.
Born and bred in Sibu, I have tasted a lot of dabai in my life, particularly when I was young and still in school. Now that I am living in Kuching, there are years when I don’t get to see or taste a single dabai fruit.
On September 12, I understand that our beloved Agong and Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Hajah Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah will be served a light breakfast which includes dabai during their visit to the Sibu Central Market.
Their Majesties will be visiting the famous Central Market during their “Kembara Kenali Borneo” tour to Sibu town. This was disclosed by Sibu Municipal Council chairman Clarence Ting Ing Horh recently.
How will their Majesties eat the dabai? With salt or soya sauce or with salt and soya sauce, as I do?
Some of my friends add sugar and chillies to their salt and soya sauce as well.
Where do the dabai in Sibu come from? I think they come from the jungles in Upper Rajang.
When express boats were still operating along the Rajang River, passengers would be sharing their spaces on board the vessels with big baskets of dabai from Kapit to Sibu town. With the opening of the road from Sibu to Kapit now, lorries and vans will be transporting the much prized fruits to Sibu.
Besides Kapit, dabai are now grown in other parts of Sarawak including Bekenu in Miri Division.
However, I think there is something special about the dabai fruits from Kapit. They are not only bigger but also taste better.
Perhaps it is time for experts to do research on the soils in Kapit and other areas where dabai are grown and find out whether the soils affect the quality of fruits produced.
Now, back to the light breakfast for our Agong and Raja Permaisuri Agong. Ting said their menu would include other local food such as “pulut panggang” (grilled glutinous rice roll) and “kampua mee” (dry noodles).
Again, I am not kidding. I think the best “pulut panggang” comes from Sibu.
Do you know that “pulut panggang” is a traditional food of the Malay community there and the main choice of many travellers when they are in Sibu?
Although many stalls in Kuching sell them, I find the “pulut panggang” in Sibu exceptionally delicious. Not only are the grilled glutinous rice rolls very fragrant but also bigger.
In the olden days, the “pulut panggang” were without fillings so you could really taste the grilled glutinous rice which were dipped in thick coconut milk first. Now, although they now come with all sorts of fillings, I still prefer the old-style “pulut panggang.”
Again, I wonder. What type of “pulut panggang” will Sibu serve our King and Queen?
Last but not least, our Agong and Permaisuri Agong will also get to taste the famous “kampua mee” (dry noodles) at the Sibu Central Market on September 12.
The “kampua mee” is a special Foochow delicacy, said to have originated from the Sibu and Sitiawan areas. The dry noodle dish is a popular kopitiam (coffeeshop) dish in Sarawak. The noodle is handmade and said to be softer than Kuching’s famous kolo mee.
The sauce for the non-halal version used to be made with pork lard, soy sauce, white pepper and fried shallots. Now, many Malay stalls have come up with creative halal versions of the “kampua mee.”
Again, I wonder, which halal version will our beloved King and Queen get to savour?
According to Bernama , the forthcoming “Kembara Kenali Borneo” tour is a dream come true for the King and Queen in getting to know Malaysians living in the interiors of Sabah and Sarawak.
The tour, which starts in Tawau, Sabah and ends in Telok Melano, Sarawak, will include numerous programmes which have arranged to enable the royal couple to engage with the people at morning or farmers’ markets, which are synonymous with the local communities and visit sites of unique natural beauty.
The Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) aide-de-camp to the King, Brigadier-General Datuk Mohamed Zahari Yahya, who is also the chief operations officer of ‘Kembara Kenali Borneo” told reporters recently that the programmes were not suggested by the people of Sabah and Sarawak.
“His Majesty himself requested to visit selected locations … and take the opportunity to see other places (in Sabah and Sarawak),” he said.
The “Kembara Kenali Borneo” will span 2,154 kms through the Pan Borneo Highway which connects Sabah, Sarawak and Brunei.”
No doubt, the people of Sarawak are eager to welcome the King and Queen to the Land of the Hornbill much as their Majesties are eager to meet them.
