BBC’s Discovering the World’s Table follows food writer Nick Kwek as he embarks on a culinary journey through Sabah, his ancestral homeland in Malaysian Borneo. From eating pufferfish with the Bajau Laut sea nomads to learning the secrets of rice wine-making, his exploration uncovers the deep cultural roots behind Sabah’s extraordinary cuisine.
As the boat departs from Kota Kinabalu’s bustling harbor, turquoise waves lap gently against its hull. The destination is not an island paradise but a floating village, a cluster of stilted shacks rising from the sea seven kilometers offshore. This is home to the Bajau Laut, a nomadic community whose lives are inseparably intertwined with the ocean. Renowned hunters and freedivers, they move with the fish, dismantling and rebuilding their makeshift homes as they go. Their bodies have even adapted to this lifestyle, with enlarged spleens acting as biological scuba tanks, allowing them to hold their breath for up to ten minutes underwater.
Returning to Sabah for the first time in nearly two decades, Kwek reflects on his upbringing in Fife, Scotland, where his parents ran a pan-Asian restaurant. The aromas of sizzling woks, fiery chilies, and fragrant ginger fueled his passion for food and travel, shaping his curiosity for the culinary traditions of his father’s homeland.
The Bajau Laut welcome Kwek with a dish of freshly caught pufferfish, a delicacy reserved for special occasions. Its preparation is a delicate art—improper handling could be fatal. Boiled with chili, garlic, turmeric, and calamansi juice, the fish is unexpectedly meaty, reminiscent of monkfish, with a tangy, spicy kick. Alongside it, the Bajau serve latok, a type of seaweed resembling tiny green grapes. These glistening spheres burst on the tongue, releasing the pure essence of the sea. Known as “green caviar,” latok is gaining popularity across Southeast Asia as a nutritious delicacy.
Back on land, latok features in a contemporary take on hinava, a traditional raw fish salad of the Kadazan-Dusun people. At OITOM, an upscale restaurant in Kota Kinabalu, chef Raphael Lee elevates this dish with homemade kombucha, foraged strawberries, and indigenous wild mango. Having trained in Melbourne, Lee returned to Sabah to showcase heritage cuisine through a fine dining lens. His hinava, delicately plated with each element carefully placed, presents a refined yet deeply rooted interpretation of Sabah’s culinary heritage.
Seafood dominates Sabah’s food scene. Coastal towns brim with fish markets, and restaurants display live grouper, crabs, lobsters, and prawns in tanks, awaiting selection. These ingredients shine in national favorites like spicy curry laksa, char kway teow, and the iconic butter prawns—crispy yet lusciously creamy. Beyond the coastline, rice remains the heart of the Malaysian diet. Introduced by Chinese, Indian, and Sumatran migrants during British colonial rule, rice forms the base of the country’s beloved nasi lemak, a dish of coconut rice, sambal, boiled eggs, cucumber, and crispy anchovies. Served with beef rendang, it becomes a symphony of rich, aromatic flavors.
A two-hour drive into the mountainous valley of Keningau reveals endless green rice paddies, where village chief Mami Ita welcomes Kwek into her home to demonstrate the traditional craft of tapai, or rice wine-making. The process begins by boiling hardened rice from the previous year’s harvest, followed by the careful addition of ragi, a handmade yeast starter passed down through generations. According to Ita, the yeast absorbs the essence of its maker, shaping the wine’s unique flavor. She warns against consuming chili or lemon for two weeks before handling the ragi, as even the slightest interference could alter the fermentation process. The rice wine matures inside a clay pot, known as a tajau, and is only diluted with water upon opening. Before taking his first sip, Ita shares a secret hangover-prevention ritual: dipping a finger into the wine, touching the forehead and belly button, and chanting “Tuka Tuka.” To Kwek’s astonishment, it seems to work.
Tapai is experiencing a revival in Sabah, finding its way into modern mixology at Limau & Linen, a chic restaurant in Kota Kinabalu’s upscale Signal Hill neighborhood. Here, executive chef Linn Yong crafts cocktails blending rice wine with coconut syrup, pineapple juice, and local mountain flowers. Keen to honor Malaysia’s rich cultural mosaic, she presents a dish that embodies unity and heritage: the “tajau treasure community pie.” Smoked octopus, scallops, shrimp, rice, rice wine, and fish stock are slow-cooked in a tajau, sealed with a flaky puff pastry lid. The dish celebrates Sabah’s natural bounty and the communal spirit that defines its cuisine.
As the pie reaches the table, steam curls into the air, carrying the warmth and comfort of home. For Kwek, this journey has been more than an exploration of food—it has been a reconnection with his roots, an immersion in the rich traditions and evolving innovations that make Sabah’s cuisine truly extraordinary.
