Best Bruneian Foods
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Roti canai is a traditional pan-fried flatbread made with flour, water, eggs, and fat of Indian origin, but mainly associated with Malaysia, and surrounding countries like Indonesia, Brunei, and Thailand. The dough for roti canai is repeatedly folded, so the final product has a layered texture, a soft interior, and a crispy outer layer.
The most common fat used in roti canai is ghee, the traditional Indian clarified butter. It is believed that the dish originated in India when the Indian laborers who migrated to Malaysia brought the recipe and the tradition of preparing this crispy pastry to the foreign country.
OTHER VARIATIONS OF Roti
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Kue lapis is a layered steamed cake widely enjoyed in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei, known for its vibrant colors, soft, chewy texture, and delicate coconut-infused flavor. The name comes from the Malay and Indonesian word kue (or kuih in Malaysa), meaning "cake" or "sweet snack," and lapis, meaning "layers"—a literal reflection of the dessert’s distinctive multi-layered structure.
Often made with a combination of rice flour, tapioca flour, coconut milk, sugar, and natural food coloring, kue lapis is steamed layer by layer, resulting in alternating bands of color, typically in shades of pink, green, and white, although many regional and modern versions feature other color combinations.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Ambuyat is the extremely sticky national dish of Brunei, made with sago palm tree starch that gets cooked into a substance similar to glue. It is typically eaten for lunch with a fermented sour sauce and a variety of vegetables on the side. Ambuyat is traditionally prepared for special occasions where it serves as a substitute for rice.
Locals eat it with a double pronged bamboo stick known as chandas and the best way to eat Ambuyat is by twirling it around the stick, then dipping it into a sauce and swallowing it instead of chewing. Ambuyat may be accompanied by a variety of side dishes, dips, and sauces due to its blandness (a minimum of three main and side dishes), and some say it tastes like "nothing at all." The most popular dips are binjai, made from a local sour fruit, and tempoyak, made with the (in)famous durian fruit.
MAIN INGREDIENTS
Kelupis is a traditional snack of both the Bisaya people and the Bruneian Malay people residing in Brunei and the Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak. Glutinous rice is first cooked in coconut milk that is flavored with pandan leaves, then wrapped in daun nyirik leaves.
The prepared rolls are steamed, then left to hang so they contain no excess water and the rice inside is not wet or damp. Once unwrapped, this snack is delicious enough to be eaten alone, but it's typically paired with curry or a spicy meat dish known as rendang.
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