Local delights in Miri

Miri is a city located in Northern Sarawak, Borneo. Like her rich neighbor, Brunei, Miri's fortune is derived from oil. The modern town gets a lot of expatriates from the US, UK, New Zealand, Australia and Japan. I can see the appeal of Miri with its beautiful sandy beaches and balmy weather as compared to the other parts of Borneo. The newly developed town doesn't get a lot of tourists unless they're passing through to the Mulu National Park. I, on the other hand, had two goals whenever I visit Miri - 1) spend time with my cousin and her family  2) stuff myself silly with the local delights.

You won't see photos of beautiful sunsets or sunrises by the beach nor of buffaloes hard at work in the fields with birds perched on their backs. You will however, see gazillions photos of F.O.O.D.

First up, satay. One simply cannot leave Malaysia without eating at least one stick of satay.

I was a source of amusement for the restaurant staff when I asked if I can photograph the satays sans the people.

I just HAD to take an upclose photo of the satays as God knows when I'll get the chance to eat them again.

Next up, the kuihs (pronounched koo-ay). They're the little Nyonya snacks which can be purchased at hawker stalls or kopitiam (coffee shops) in Malaysia. I've left Borneo 20 years ago but I still miss my favorite kuihs.

Kuih pulut panggang. I don't like the ones with spicy coconut filling. Pulut panggang is literally just glutinous rice cooked with coconut milk and pandan leaves (screwpine) and then wrapped in banana leaves before they're grilled and charred. I could eat this everyday without getting sick of it.

The ondeh-ondeh. I'm drooling just looking at this photo. These are my favorite. They're made of glutinous rice flour with a coconut and gula melaka filling. Yum!

Pisang goreng or fried banana in batter. Bad for you but oh so good.

You Tiao which literally translates to Oil Stick. They're also called fried dough stick. They are deep fried in oil. Little L's obsessed with these and drove me up the wall until I got her some.

And this is how one makes fried dough sticks.

More kuihs, courtesy of my hospitable cousin

Now, this is a very typical Foochow cuisine. I grew up eating these at local coffee shops or sometimes little shacks along the roadside. I have no idea what they're called in Mandarin but Foochows call the dish Diang Miang Ngu. You mix the rice flour with water and dribble on the sides of a big wok to make these noodles.