THE Fourth Food Craft Bazaar 2025 (Pengesak Ilu Kenyah) in Kuching organised by the Persatuan Kebangsaan Kenyah Sarawak, Kuching Branch, was a lively affair.
But it was the booth run by Marta Anyie, 47, and her friend Teresa Suot, 50, that truly captured much attention at the event on April 26.
They served a variety of homemade Kenyah kuih such kelupis, kelupis pisang, kuih dinu and the unique kuih kicap Belaga, all prepared using traditional recipes passed down through generations.
For Marta, making and selling traditional kuih is not just a business; it is her way of keeping the Kenyah culture and food alive.
“I learned everything from my grandmother and mother,” she said.
“When I was young, I would sit beside them, helping to wrap kelupis and stir the butter for kuih dinu. Now, it’s my turn to continue what they taught me,” she added.
Martha explained that preparing this Kenyah kuih takes patience and careful attention.
For instance, kelupis is a glutinous rice cooked with coconut milk and wrapped in nyirik leaves.
“When making kelupis, it must be done carefully to get the right texture and taste,” she said
Making kelupis may be quite simple; however every step must be done properly.
The main ingredients are glutinous rice and coconut milk wrapped using the nyirik leaves.
Nyirik leaves help the kelupis stay fresh longer as compared to banana leaves, which will tear easily and will not keep the kelupis fresh for long.
Marta explained that the process starts with boiling coconut milk and pandan leaves until the coconut milk breaks and oil appears on top.
Then, glutinous rice and salt are added and cooked until the mixture becomes half-dry.
After that, the rice is removed and wrapped in nyirik leaves and steamed until fully cooked.
“Some people think it’s easy, but if you want the taste to be just right, you have to be careful at every step,” she emphasised.
Marta also sells kuih dinu which is traditionally made by the Orang Ulu.
Kuih dinu has been part of their culture for many generations since rice flour and glutinous rice flour were important ingredients in every Orang Ulu household.
Kuih dinu is known by different names among the community, for instance, the Kelabit call it urum or kuih getas. However, the recipe is the same.
Making kuih dinu is simple. All it needs is glutinous rice flour, rice flour, sugar, salt and water which when mixed together is made into a dough.
Then the dough is shaped and fried until golden brown.
“When frying dinu, you need to be very careful to check the oil temperature to avoid burning the kuih itself,” said Marta.
Kuih dinu is often made for celebrations like weddings and harvest festivals, and also perfect for daily meals like breakfast and tea time.
“Dinu is a traditional kuih that people eat whenever they want and at any occasion as well,” she said
Meanwhile, kuih kicap Belaga is another unique kuih that Marta and Teresa sell at their booth.
“This kuih comes from Belaga. You won’t find it often in Kuching,” said Teresa, who has years of experience making it.
It is made with rice flour, eggs, sweet leaf, and fermented traditional ingredients with soy sauce featuring in the middle.
There’s a proper way to eat it, Teresa pointed out.
“To eat kuih kicap, first you should fold it into half, not directly take a bite,” she explained
“The younger generation often doesn’t know that. That’s why we need to share these things while we still can,” she added.
The many visitors, both locals and tourists who came to Marta and Teresa’s booth, were excited to taste the traditional kuih for the first time.
Although Marta and Teresa are passionate about their work, both of them admitted that keeping traditions alive is not always easy.
“Sometimes, people prefer modern desserts,” Teresa said.
“But I believe there will always be people who appreciate real traditional kuih,” Marta interjected.
To keep up with the times and trends, Marta and Teresa attend a lot of food festivals and bazaars in order to show customers that there are these types of kuih.
Marta also hopes that more young Kenyah people will be interested in learning about their traditional food.
“It’s not just cooking. It’s about keeping our identity alive,” she said.
