Kuih Cincin

One of the things Sabah is famous for is Kuih Cincin. 'Cincin' means 'ring' in Malay, but it doesn't look like a ring. Perhaps it refers to several rings in the middle of the biscuit.

One of its ingredients is palm sugar, or what we call 'gula nipah' in Malay. 'Nipah' is a type of a palm. The biscuit is nice and crunchy, and addictive! It is not too oily, but it can be. It's not too sweet, either. In fact, that's the reason why it can be addictive. ;)

Apparently this kuih can hardly be found in West Malaysia. If so, it is hard and no longer fresh.
The inner section of the biscuit is tough and crispy, made from a mixture of wheat flour, palm sugar and red sugar. It is then baked or fried or something... then deep in a mixture of rice flour mixture.

The "cincin's" (means rings in English) are then let to dry before being deep fried in hot oil. It is important to make sure the cincin are dry before deep frying to make sure the oil don't squirt out of the wok.

The biscuit taste really nice- Sweet, and a bit salty... fragrant with sesame seeds too. Delicious!

Pinjaram

Pinjaram, penyaram or kuih UFO as some would call it, is a type of local cake that is popularized by the Bajau people. This Mexican hat-shaped cake has a nice, chewy texture with a tantalizing pandan aroma. Excellent to be eaten in front of the TV with a cup of hot black tea or coffee!
The pinjaram is flipped every few seconds to ensure it is evenly cooked. The perfect pinjaram is said to be fluffy with a tinge of brown surrounding it to give it a slightly crispy feel on the edges. These cakes make wonderful tea-time snacks and can be found at most tamu (open air markets). It perfects to satisfy any sweet-tooth.

Pinjaram or penyaram as it is pronounced in certain dialects) has a softer texture. It is made of rice flour, cornflour, sugar, coconut milk and oil. Some people use pandan-flavoured sugar instead of regular sugar to create a more tantalizing aroma. After the main ingredients are mixed together, the batter is left to settle overnight. Cooking oil is heated in a large wok and, using a small cup, the batter is poured in slowly to create the desired size.

Ambuyat

Another unique flavour from Sabah is "Ambuyat". One of the traditional dishes which is served together with grilled fish and a spicy "Bambangan"sauce.

"Bambangan" is a type of wild mango with brown skin and a somewhat pungent smell. This is not eaten fresh as a fruit but made into a pickle or cooked with fish for a distinctive flavour.
It's very famous among Bisaya people of Klias Peninsular and Brunei people from Papar.

"Ambuyat", is a gluey "porridge" with sago starch or "Ambulung" (Sabah language). It's using a pair of chopsticks or "CANDAS" (Sabah language) cut from the rib of the sago palm to twirl it up into a sticky mass for dunking in a "bambangan" sauce.

Ambuyat also famous at Sarawak especially among the Melanau people . It is because they are like sago very much too.

You may find this food at most of the "Tamu" markets or street markets in Sabah.
Another unique flavour from Sabah is Ambuyat. It's very famous among bisaya people of klias peninsular.
Ambuyat, is a gluey "porridge" with sago starch. It's using a pair of chopsticks cut from the rib of the sago palm to twirl it up into a sticky mass for dunking in a tasty sauce.
The murut or " hill people " living in Sabah 's interior, make a substance similar to Ambuyat, grating and washing the starch out of tapioca roots rather than the sago palm. Both boiled tapioca and sago starch are enjoyed on occasion by various kadazan dusun people, although rice - particularly hill rice grown on the slopes of the Crocker range - remains the number one favourite.
Ambuyat is also famous at Sarawak especially among the melanau people. It is because they are like sago very much too.
The Ambuyat is suitable as a snack, breakfast, tea-time or even supper.

Kelupis

In Sabah, Kelupis will be served during the fest or wedding days. Kelupis is one type of food from glutinious rice like ‘ketupat’ and become one of the main dish people in Sabah especially for Brunei, Biasaya and Lundayed in Papar, Sipitang and Menumbok.
Kelupis always be eaten with ‘sambal sate’, ‘rendang’ and curry. Like ketupat, Kelupis is made of glutinous rice, coconut milk and salt. One thing about Kelupis is, it is covered using a green leaves we called as ‘Daun Nyirik’ .

Lamban

Lamban is a traditional food for Bajau tribe in Sabah East Coast. Normally, it will be served during a special day like Hari Raya, wedding party and etc. it can be tasted with rendang, serunding, peanut butter, or anything.