Ambuyat (Sago Palm Starch with Dipping Sauce)
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The Tale of Ambuyat (Sago Palm Starch with Dipping Sauce)
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Ambuyat, a glutinous paste made from sago palm starch, is widely regarded as Brunei's national dish and reflects a period when sago, abundant in the jungles of Borneo, stood in for scarce rice. Eaten with a special forked bamboo utensil called a chandas and dipped into tangy or savory sauces, it remains deeply tied to indigenous Bruneian tradition.
Ingredients
Scale:· 4 servings
- 1 cup sago starch (ambulong)
- 3 cups boiling water
- 1/2 lb grilled or fried fish
- 3 tbsp tamarind paste
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 red chilies, minced
- 1 tbsp shrimp paste, toasted
- Assorted side dishes: grilled fish, sambal, and vegetables
Instructions
- 1Mix the sago starch with a small amount of cold water to form a paste in a heatproof bowl.
- 2Pour boiling water over the paste gradually, stirring constantly and vigorously with a fork or bamboo whisk (candas) until it turns thick, glutinous, and translucent.
- 3Continue stirring until the ambuyat forms a smooth, sticky, gel-like consistency with no lumps.
- 4Whisk tamarind paste, sugar, minced chilies, and toasted shrimp paste together to make the cacah dipping sauce.
- 5Using special bamboo tongs (candas), twirl a small amount of the sticky ambuyat and dip it into the tangy sauce.
- 6Eat immediately alongside grilled fish, sambal, and vegetable side dishes, swallowing the ambuyat without chewing as is traditional.
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