Ambuyat (Traditional Dish of the Bisaya/Brunei Ethnic Group)
Serves 5

Ingredient A
1 kg (6½ cups) sago rumbia
Hot water, freshly boiled
1 litre (4 cups) water

Ingredient B
600 g white fish/tongkol/tenggiri/kurau/senangin
40 g (5 pips) shallots
10 g (2 pips) garlic
10 g (2 cm) fresh turmeric         pounded coarsely
10 g (2 cm) ginger
3 g (5) bird’s eye chillies
30 g (2 sticks) lemon grass, crushed
5 g (5 pcs) dried tamarind
9 g (1½ tsps) salt
625 ml (2½ cups) water

Ingredient C
500 g (60 stalks) paku shoots, cleaned and plucked
3 g (1/2 tsp) salt
10 g (1 tbsp) vegetable oil
20 g (3 pips) shallots
10 g (2 pips) garlic                  pounded
10 g (1 tbsp) shrimp paste
125 ml (1/2 cup) water
1 red chilli (sliced) for decoration

Method
Ingredient A
To make ambuyat:

1. Mix sago with 4 cups of water and soak for 10 minutes.

2. Drain off the water and pour sago into a heat proof container

3. Pour freshly boiled hot water over it. Mix well until the sago looks clear and of gummy consistency.

Ingredient B

1. Clean the fish and cut into 5 slices.

2. Place into a saucepan together with other (B) ingredients. Stir well until cooked.

Ingredient C

1. Heat oil in a kuali and stir-fry the pounded ingredients until fragrant.

2. Stir in the paku shoots. Add salt and 1/2 cup of water. Cook until soft. Decorate with red chilli.

Note:

1. Ambuyat is eaten by rolling the sago around two bamboo sticks then dipped into the fish gravy and eaten together with pakis.

2. Sago is a staple food for the Bisaya ethnic group in Sabah. This recipe is a well-balanced meal, rich in com­plex carbohydrates and fibre yet low in oil and salt.

3. If sago rumbia is not available, replace with any sago or sago ‘ubi’ which must be cooked until clear

4. Ambuyat is best eaten while still hot.

Weight per serving: 600 g