KUCHING: The scent of local herbs and spices filled the air at Indah Café as delegates of the ‘Magnificent Sarawak: Gastronomy Adventures’ programme rolled up their sleeves to try their hand at preparing some of Sarawak’s signature dishes.
On the menu were local cuisines such as pineapple kerabu, ayam masak gula apong, labu midin masak lemak, and Sarawak laksa chicken, offering a hands-on culinary journey for participants.
Among the delegates was Shau Guanhao, better known as Shawn, one of the key opinion leaders (KOLs) from China involved in the gastronomy tour.
“It wasn’t really cooking on my own; we had a teacher guiding us. It was more about experiencing a different way of preparing food, a learning process,” Shawn told Sarawak Tribune.
When asked which dish he thought would taste best, Shawn said he enjoyed making all of them but particularly liked the coconut rice dish and ayam masak gula apong.
“I gave it my own twist and slightly overcooked it, so the palm sugar really coated the chicken,” he added.
Shawn also noted similarities between Sarawak’s cooking methods and those from his homeland.
“In China, deep frying and stir frying are common techniques too,” he said. “Though our soups are usually less creamy. This experience gave me new ideas. Maybe I’ll start experimenting with cream in my dishes.”
He was also intrigued by the use of raw onions in pineapple kerabu – a first for him – and looked forward to tasting it.
Later this evening, the ‘Tok Panjang Sarawak’ dinner will showcase a special culinary collaboration featuring renowned chef, Addison Liew, and chef buddies, Chef Tam Kwok Fung, Chef Xu Jingye, and Peruvian chef, Eduardo Vargas.
Together, they will present dishes crafted from ingredients sourced across Sarawak during the week-long tour.
The dinner will be officiated by the Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts, Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.
The ‘Magnificent Sarawak: Gastronomy Adventures’ programme is a cultural and culinary initiative curated by MULU Global Media under the MULU Group China.
