WITH Kaamatan and Gawai festivals just round the corner, several chefs partnered a household brand to showcase the flavours of Sabah and Sarawak.
Media members were also invited to a hands-on cooking experience at the Maggi studio in Surian Tower, Petaling Jaya.
Acting as event emcee was celebrity chef Abdul Muluk Rambli, while Karen Yap, who hosts reservation-only private dining experiences featuring rare Sarawakian dishes, and Melvin Gatu, chef de cuisine with a five-star resort in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, conducted the event.
Adding glamour were five winners from the Miss Ethnic Borneo Native Festival pageant.
The star item was the brand’s line of instant noodles enhanced with fish, chicken, pickled wild mango and Borneo sour brinjal.
Guests later enjoyed a buffet lunch prepared by Yap, Melvin and Abdul Muluk using indigenous ingredients.
Yap made Manok Upa Pisang (chicken in banana trunk), a dish she learned from her Iban step-grandfather who lives in a longhouse in Marudi.
This was accompanied by a Grenadier Anchovy Sambal which uses Bintulu belacan said to cost around RM80 per kg.
She also made Spanish Mackerel with Borneo Sour Brinjal.
Melvin prepared a porridge made of Tadong rice, a black heirloom variety native to Sabah.
The recipe is said to be 100 years old and belongs to his grandmother.
The ingredients included wild kodop mushrooms and tapioca leaves.
It was paired with a bilimbi relish enriched with dried shrimp and lime juice.
Abdul Muluk served an evergreen favourite of the Dayak people called Manuk Pansuh (chicken cooked in bamboo).
His recipe can be found on the Maggi website.
Helping to enhance the dishes were Maggi Cukup Rasa and Sambal Tumis.
The former is a granulated seasoning of fresh onions, garlic, anchovies and spices while the latter is a ready-to-use paste of chillies, garlic, ginger and onions.
The three chefs said the flavourings bring consistency to dishes.
“Whether you are cooking for four or 40, the result holds,” said Abd Muluk.
Yap said: “It simplifies the steps without stripping the soul from the dish and elevates the final flavour in a way that feels true to the East Malaysian palate.
“We know that for a lot of Sabahans and Sarawakians living away from home, the harvest season can feel bittersweet.
“This year, we just want to make it a little easier for them to enjoy those flavours wherever they are,” said Maggi Malaysia and Singapore business executive officer Ivy Tan.
For those who will be celebrating far from home and may be cooking their festive dishes for the first time, Maggi helps give the confidence they need to keep tradition alive, she said.
Malaysians living in Sabah and Sarawak can celebrate the season with “Jom Masak and Menang Bersama Maggi” a contest running until June 30 with a Ford Ranger as the grand prize.
For details, visit www.maggi.com.my or follow the brand on social media.
For every entry received, 10sen will be donated to Hopes Malaysia Welfare Association in Sabah and Helping Hands Penan in Sarawak.
