Bruneian Recipes
6 recipesBrunei's cooking belongs to the Malay world of Borneo, with rice, coconut, chili, fresh fish and shrimp paste at its base. Rice is eaten daily, usually with a fried or curried main and a sharp, spicy sambal. The national dish is ambuyat, a sticky paste of sago starch twirled around a bamboo fork and dipped in a sour, hot sauce called cacah, with vegetables and fried fish alongside. Most food is halal, and meals are built around chicken, beef, fish and prawns. Many dishes use ingredients from the rainforest and the river, such as wild mango (binjai), fermented durian (tempoyak) and sago. Cheap and well loved, nasi katok is rice with fried chicken and sambal sold in paper parcels. Sweet snacks called kuih, made with rice flour, palm sugar and coconut milk, are served with tea and at weddings and Hari Raya, when rendang and rice cakes fill the table.
Staple ingredients
- rice
- sago starch
- coconut milk
- chilies
- shrimp paste (belacan)
- chicken and beef
- fish and prawns
- glutinous rice
Main Dishes
Ambuyat (Bruneian Sago Starch with Spicy Dipping Sauce)BN50 minMedium
Nasi Katok (Bruneian Rice with Fried Chicken and Sambal)BN1 h 5 minEasy
Side Dishes
Desserts
Snacks
Cucur Udang (Bruneian Prawn and Vegetable Fritters)BN45 minEasy
Kelupis (Bruneian Glutinous Rice Rolls)BN1 h 40 minMedium
Common questions
What is Bruneian food known for?
Ambuyat, nasi katok, glutinous rice parcels such as kelupis, rendang and sweet kuih. Coconut, chili and shrimp paste feature heavily in the Malay-style cooking.
What is the national dish of Brunei?
Ambuyat, a thick, sticky sago paste eaten by twirling it around a two-pronged bamboo fork and dipping it in a sour, spicy sauce. It has little flavor of its own, so the sauce matters.
Is Bruneian food spicy?
Often. Sambal and chili sauces come with most meals, but they are usually served on the side so each person controls the heat.