Tribal Scoops: Traditional Kelabit offering

http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/leisure/2012/11/15/tribal-scoops-traditional-kelabit-offering/

Dave Avran | November 15, 2012 

 

We found the staff to be friendly and attentive while the food was awesome. This restaurant is definitely on the shortlist for the frigglive annual awards.

FOOD REVIEW

 

Sarawak in general is chock full of intriguing and great ethnic cuisine experiences and Kuching’s Tribal Scoops is a gem of a find introduced to us by Kuching socialite Gracie Geikie.

Nestled just next to Tune Hotel at the Taman Sri Sarawak complex and facing the Kuching Hilton, it celebrates the unique food, farming, forest and cultural heritage of the Bario Highlands – one of the last surviving intact traditionally farmed and forested highland watersheds in Sarawak and East Malaysia.

In order to fully appreciate the Tribal Scoops dining experience, a little history and geography lesson is in order. Bario is a village located in the centre of the Kelabit Highlands in the north east of Sarawak, very close to the international border with Indonesian Kalimantan, and 3280 feet above sea level. It is the main settlement in the Kelabit Highlands.

The Kelabit, at approximately 6,000 people, is one of the smallest ethnic groups in Sarawak. Like many other indigenous communities in Sarawak, the Kelabit live in longhouses in the Bario Highlands. It is estimated that only 1,200 Kelabit are still living in the highlands.

The community’s main economic activity is agriculture, mainly growing Bario rice. The cool climate at an average 20℃ enables the residents to cultivate citrus fruits besides rice. Bario is also famous for its high-potash salt and the refreshing, juicy Bario pineapple.



A chat with Tribal Scoops’s owner, Esther Balan-Gala, revealed that as she was unable to find readily available traditional Kelabit food anywhere in the city, she decided to open Tribal Scoops Restaurant to cater to that craving.

Her aim is to promote authentic ethnic food which is healthy and organic yet affordable, while also promoting Sarawak’s rich cultural heritage through the unique and authentic products being sold in her outlet, including Kek Lapis, ethnic headbands, Bario Highland salt and cinnamon, ethnic artworks and crafts, CDs of ethnic Sarawak music and recipe books.

This charitable lady reveals her soft side by allotting space on the walls to showcase artworks by talented but handicapped local artists, and never fails to encourage her customers to support them.

With that rather long introduction, let’s get down to the business of food. We opted for the buffet line instead of Ala Carte, and came face to face with Nubaq Layag which is mashed rice, either red or white, wrapped in a fragrant Isip leaf.

Before we could inquire, Esther explained that in the old days when people went to the farm, they didn’t have plates. So they used leaves for plates and even scoops for soup. We also use bamboo to bake fish and meats, and use them as serving dishes, cups and spoons, she said.



Next up, the Manuk Pansuh which is chicken cooked in bamboo had the wafting aromas of ginger, tapioca leaves and lemongrass, and was seasoned with organic Bario Highland Salt and had the distinct flavor of bamboo. This dish is also known as Pansoh locally.

More tapioca leaves were to be found in the savory Udung Ubih, which was stir- fried with tangy lemongrass.

Tribal Scoops boasts many other ethnic cuisines which are a must-try, such as A’beng (deboned fish), Pa’uh Ab’pa (jungle fern) fish cooked with Dayak brinjal, cucumber and black fungus soup, Labo Senutuq (shredded beef/serunding style beef), stir-fried bamboo shoots, bunga kantan salad and many more delicious dishes all cooked using organic ingredients and flavored with local herbs and spices as well as the mineral-rich Highland organic salt.

Esther stressed that they don’t use MSG in their cooking, their greens are all organic, and that all meat and fish at Tribal Scoops are obtained from Halal suppliers. No pork or lard is used in their cooking.



We found the staff to be friendly and attentive while the food was awesome. This restaurant is definitely on the shortlist for the frigglive annual awards.

Tribal Scoops offers free Wifi, and caters for private functions and events. They can also arrange for activities like rice wrapping demonstrations where participants will learn to wrap their own rice.

Tribal Scoops Restaurant and Snack Bar is located at No.10, 1st Floor, Block H, Jalan Borneo, Taman Sri Sarawak. Tel: 082-234873.

You can also find more at their website. Or their Facebook.

[photo credit: Veronica Ng]

Villagers set up blockades to halt Ba Kelalan-Bario Road project

http://www.theborneopost.com/2012/11/12/villagers-set-up-blockades-to-halt-ba-kelalan-bario-road-project/#ixzz2BzoqQHYp

Posted on November 12, 2012, Monday

BLOCKADE: Ba’ Kelalan folks set up a blockade near Sungai Muda.

BA KELALAN: Cheesed off for being kept in the dark by the government and their elected representatives, about 20 villagers in Ba Kelalan set up blockades last Thursday to thwart construction of the Ba Kelalan-Bario Road before it destroys their water catchment area.

The blockade was erected at Pa’ Patar and Arur Lutut, which is near the water catchment area called Sungai Muda.

Villager Paren Padan claimed that the contractors had already cleared about a kilometre stretch of the jungle despite the villagers’ strong disagreement to have the road built through Sungai Muda.

“During a meeting which was held when Lawas MP Dato Henry (Sum Agong) came here, we agreed that the road be built through Belingi-Lepo Bunga-Bario because it would not affect our water catchment area in Sungai Muda.

“However, since then we have not received any more information or official word from the government, Henry nor Ba Kelalan assemblyman Baru Bian,” he claimed.

Paren added that his people sincerely hoped that the government would build the road through Belingi-Lepo Bunga-Bario, and urged their elected representatives to keep them updated on the latest happenings.

Construction of the RM42 million Ba Kelalan-Bario Road started on Oct 1 and is expected to be completed by Sept 2014.

According to a Bernama report in September, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zaidi Hamidi said heavy machinery from the Royal Army Engineers Regiment were already in Ba Kelalan to implement the project.

Ahmad Zaidi was quoted as saying that the project came under the Blue Ocean Strategy, and was a continuation of the 75km Long Luping-Ba Kelalan Road which was completed in September last year. That project, like the Ba  Kelalan-Bario Road project, is also a Jiwa Murni project.

The folks in Ba Kelalan are all out to protect Sungai Muda because its destruction would affect the lives of about 2,000 villagers from Punan Kelalan, Long Muda, Long Kumap, Long Langai, Long Lemutut, Buduk Nur and SK Bakelalan – an international award winning school.

Villagers told reporters last month that the Royal Army Engineers Regiment had explained to them that they opted for the Sungai Muda route because it is 20km shorter than the Belingi-Lepo Bunga-Bario route, and thus would incur less cost.

The villagers, however, did not buy that story because the Belingi-Lepo Bunga-Bario route already exist and merely needed small improvements, such as culverts.

Heart of Borneo forests a prized heritage – Kurup

http://www.theborneopost.com/2012/11/08/heart-of-borneo-forests-a-prized-heritage-kurup/

Posted on November 8, 2012, Thursday

KOTA KINABALU: The conservation of the Heart of Borneo (HoB) forests is a matter of major local, national, regional and international concern because of the diversity of their unique array of plants and animals.

Deputy Natural Resources and Environment Malaysia Minister Tan Sri Datuk Seri Panglima Joseph Kurup said at the closing ceremony of the International Conference on Heart of Borneo +5 and Beyond: “Shaping and nurturing Sabah’s future together” at Sutera Harbour Resort near here yesterday that the forests at HoB were also of critical value to the people and countries of Borneo as prized natural heritage and for the goods and services that they provide.

“Hence, the HoB areas must be effectively managed on the basis of sustainable land use planning and implementation with regard to the balance of ecosystem, socio-cultural, economic and political aspects within the respective nations,” he said.

Kurup said the country recognised the importance of HoB initiative, which was in harmony with existing policies, plans and programmes pertaining to sustainable development, land use and conservation, both at state and national levels.

“The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment Malaysia views HoB as a significant initiative that will directly contribute towards the betterment in forest management and conservation,” he said.
He also assured of the federal government’s support.

“Malaysia reiterates the importance that this initiative be continued to be placed within the government’s sustainable development framework and policy,” he said.

Kurup said the HoB initiative is a conservation and sustainable development programme aimed at conserving and managing three countries, namely Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam.

He added that during the signing of the HoB Declaration almost five years ago, the three governments had recognised and committed to a set of measures and actions to ensure the sustainability of our efforts in managing and conserving a large tract of area that cradled the three countries, and which signified a practical and real effort by the HoB countries for the benefit of the future.