11 Most Popular Brunei Meat Dishes
Just like most Asian countries, fish, rice, and noodle meals are very common in Brunei. And aside from Brunei’s national dish called Ambuyat (which is derived from the interior of the sago palm tree), might as well try some of the popular Brunei meat dishes when exploring the country.
BRUNEI
Brunei is a small Southeast Asian country and currently ranked as the fifth richest nation all over the world. It is surrounded by Malaysia and the South China Sea.
The country is abundant of crude oil and natural gas, and the revenue of these products are used to subsidize housing programs, free education, and other infrastructures.
The country has a low crime rate and is definitely a safe place to visit.
On top of the beautiful tourist destinations, Brunei food will absolutely please you. So if you are planning to give this country a visit, here is the list of food you must try.
Here are the popular foods you should look forward to…
BRUNEI FOOD
Situated on the north coast on the island of Borneo, Brunei Darussalam, is known for its biodiverse rainforest and beautiful beaches. It is also rich in culture and traditions.
Previously, we talked about Ambuyat. For the benefit of those who don’t know what Ambuyat is, it is actually made with a mix of starchy, tapioca starch or solid whites, and water. It is served with a dipping sauce called cacah.
It is also served along with other side dishes like crushed peanuts and some traditional snack like pulut panggang, steamed glutinous rice, sticky rice. Because most Bruneins love rice flour, most of their dishes are made with rice flour.
Aside from the aforementioned foods, there are also meat dishes in Brunei that are worth a try.
The country is surrounded by Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore. Hence, Bruneian cuisine is heavily influenced by these countries.
Let us explore the local delicacies, specifically the meat dishes in Brunei.
Brunei Meat Dishes
Listed below are the popular dishes in Brunei having meat as the main ingredients.
HATI BUYAH
This Brunei food is an exotic dish made of beef lungs, oil, spices, onions, spice seeds, and vegetables. Hati buyah is usually marinated and stir fried.
This dish is best eaten with any type of noodles like vermicelli noodles (mee hoon), yellow noodles (mee kuning), or both (kahwin) with scallions and egg as toppings.
There are also some who prefer to eat Hati buyah with plain rice.
NASI KATOK
Nasi katok is a combination of one piece of crunchy fried chicken, sambal (either spicy or normal), and a bowl of rice. Its name literally means rice knock, where people knock on the vendor’s doors to buy.
It is usually served in different fast food stores, and is one of the cheapest meals you can find in the country.
AYAM PENYET
Another meat dish you must try in Brunei Darussalam is the Ayam penyet food. This Indonesian-inspired cuisine is very affordable and delicious. The meal consists of a piece of chicken leg that is fried in hot oil to crispy perfection, a bowl of rice, slices of cucumber and tomato, fried tofu, tempeh and topped with chili sambal.
BAMBOO CHICKEN
Technically, this Bruneian dish is a chicken curry cooked by filling the marinated chicken in bamboo segments and cooked on charcoal.
This dish is made of small pieces of skinless chicken, chopped green chilies, onions, ginger paste, and dry spices such as turmeric powder, sea salt, red chili powder, garam masala powder, and chicken masala powder.
The chicken is then marinated with all the ingredients for at least an hour. Then fill it into the bamboo shoot. The open end of the bamboo shoot is covered with banana leaves or palm sugar leaves.
The cooked chicken is then garnished with chopped onions and some drops of lemon juice.
It is best eaten with roti canai (a byproduct of the spice trade), naan (indian style flatbread), rice or other types of bread.
SATAY
Satay is a famous dish in Southeast Asia, seasoned, skewered and barbecued on a grill. It can be made from chicken, beef, pork, lamb, mutton, or rabbit meat. This food is usually served with a dipping sauce and steamed rice.
NASI LEMAK
Nasi lemak is a Malaysian-influenced dish consisting of aromatic rice cooked in coconut milk and pandan leaf.
This dish is usually served with a spicy paste (sambal), boiled eggs, anchovies, sliced cucumber, and roasted peanuts.
LAKSA
Laksa is actually a spicy noodle dish consisting of thick rice noodles topped with meat like chicken, fish, or minced prawn.
Its main ingredients are herbs, coconut milk, spice paste, and tamarind. The dish is commonly served during breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
GRILLED FISH
Grilled fish is a popular street food in Brunei. It is made of large fish (sliced or whole) covered with the country’s very own orange sauce. This authentic Brueian cuisine is prepared in a traditional way and is best eaten with steamed rice cake, plain rice, or any other bread.
Unlike some of the Brunei dishes, grilled fish won’t undergo a very lengthy process. All you need to do is cover the fish with Brunei’s orange sauce and grill over a charcoal.
BEEF RENDANG
Beef rendang is originally from Indonesia, and is also a popular dish in Malaysia known as Malaysian curry. However, Brunei’s version is a curry with a little sauce or a dry curry.
Its sauce is made with fragrant spices such as cardamon, star anise, cinnamon, lemongrass, galangal, ginger, and garlic.
The beef is cooked for a couple of hours with the sweet mixture until turn into a soft texture, along with the coconut milk that deepens its buttery and nutty flavor.
Beef rending is commonly served with a cup of steamed siam rice.
UDANG SAMBAL SERAI BERSANTAN
Sambal udang serai bersantan is Brunei’s seafood specialty. This dish is made of shrimps cooked in coconut milk and chili.
This dish is usually served on top of rice long with vegetables, and garnished with chopped green onions.
CURRY PUFFS
This cuisine is a staple snack of Maritime Southeast Asian origin. It is made of curry, chicken and sweet potatoes. Curry puff looks like a small pie filled with ingredients.
This Bruneian food is either deep-fried or baked.
Curry puff is also known as Pastel, epok-epok, and karipap.
Best served when hot.
WRAP UP
Aside from these meat dishes, there are still other foods in Brunei that are worth bragging for. When you visit the country, never forget to try their traditional snack called cincin. This snack is made with both red palm sugar and brown sugar.
You can also try their very refreshing Batu Campur which is made with sago pearls, noodles, red beans, grass jelly, corn, and shaved ice. And if you love to deepen the sweetness of your dessert, you can ask to drizzle it with syrup.
And that is pretty much about Brunei and the country’s delicious and must try dishes. I hope that this post will serve as your reference when going to this country, or will help you in any way.
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