a culinary journey through Kuching
Those searching for a vibrant culinary adventure should head to Kuching, Sarawak’s capital on the island of Borneo. In 2021, the city was recognised by UNESCO as a Creative City of Gastronomy, becoming the first city in Malaysia to receive the accolade and joining a list of just 50 worldwide.
Much like the rest of Malaysia, Sarawak’s cuisine is based around the staples of rice, noodles and sago. However, owing to its island location and the individual customs of the indigenous tribal groups that live among its rainforests and coastline, Sarawak has also developed rich culinary traditions that can’t be found anywhere else, with each ethnic group having its own delicacies and different styles of preparing and cooking food.
This has led to a melting pot of flavours with a varied choice of dishes, including Sarawak laksa, kolo mee, sayur midin belacan, daun ubi goreng and even its own dessert, the Sarawak layer cake or ‘kek lapis Sarawak’. These can be sampled across Kuching, with a burgeoning restaurant scene complemented by the ubiquitous street food stalls and kampong canteens.
This visual journey explores the city’s culinary delights. From street-side delicacies to celebrated dining establishments and traditional dishes, Kuching has many exciting options to experience.
Resting on the banks of the Sarawak River, Kuching is the state capital and the epicentre of Sarawak’s indigenous food revolution. Photograph by Richard James Taylor
These are traditional Sarawakian cooking ingredients at the Serian Wet Market, including kunyit kampung (village turmeric), ginger, green and red chillies, and local limes. Photograph by Richard James Taylor
Heritage chef Mina Trang-Witte is demonstrating pounding rice with a traditional wooden dhekie pestle and mortar at Lepau Restaurant, Kuching. Mina is from the Kelabit tribe in the north of Sarawak and has a mission to keep traditional cooking methods alive. Photograph by Richard James Taylor
By the Sarawak River in Kuching, a man is preparing lok-lok, a street food consisting of steamed meats and vegetables served on skewers. Lok-lok is a quick and affordable dish that is popular throughout Kuching. It can be made from fish, meat or vegetables that are boiled in a flavourful broth, with various dipping sauces to accompany it. Photograph by Richard James Taylor
Popular across the Sarawak region, kek lapis Photograph by Richard James Taylor
is a layer cake typically made from rice flour, sago, coconut milk and food
colouring. A favourite is the green-coloured Evergreen, flavoured by pandan, a
herbaceous tropical plant that grows abundantly in Southeast Asia.
Sarawak Photograph by Richard James Taylor
laksa can be found at many local coffee shops and restaurants, including James
Brooke Café on Kuching’s waterfront. It is made of rice vermicelli in coriander gravy with prawns, chicken, bean sprouts, and egg julienne, served with a sambal and local lime side dish.
Explore the vibrant interior of the popular Lepau Restaurant in Kuching. This establishment offers an authentic dining experience, working hard to preserve the colourful flavours and cooking traditions that come from Sarawak’s heritage and culture. Photography by Richard James Taylor
Chan Bee Kian prepares Sarawak Laksa at Lau Ya Keng foodcourt in Carpenter Street, downtown Kuching. Photograph by Richard James Taylor
Try a traditional dish of daun ubi goreng served with a side dish of terung asam sambal at Lepau Restaurant in Kuching, Sarawak.
The Mui Xin Laksa restaurant in Carpenter Street is a favourite hang out for locals, who come for the distinct fragrant broth and sweetness of the Sarawak Laksa and the incredible architecture of the Chinese Temple located within its interior. Photograph by Richard James Taylor
Wonder through the old town of Kuching to see the local street art. This painting depicts the process of preparing suntong tutok, a dish of grilled dried squid traditionally flattened with a hammer and then eaten with a hot sauce dip. Photograph by Richard James Taylor
There are regular flights to Kuching from Heathrow via Singapore, Brunei or Kuala Lumpur. For more information, visit sarawaktourism.com
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