The Things We Endured For Sinalau Bakas!

What exactly is sinalau bakas? Well, take a look at these pictures:

*new pic :-)

Still not getting it? Okay, quick facts about sinalau bakas:

It derives from Dusun/Kadazan language (local dialects in Sabah)

Sinalau - smoked, salai (Malay)

Bakas - wild boar, babi hutan (Malay)

Translation - smoked wild boar meat, daging salai babi hutan  (Malay)

So, on Sunday, about a week ago after church, my brother-in-law said: Oh, I soooo want to eat sinalau bakas.  Let's find some? Mau ka? Of course the collective answers were: Betul bah? MARI!

The time indicated that it's a shy over 30 mins past 1.00pm and off we went, driving all the way from KK to Tamparuli.  Passing through Tuaran and it rained! Big fat rain, it was practically a Niagara! Passing through Tamparuli town, it was still raining heavily. The car moved in a snail pace, blurry windshields, sharp and dangerous turns, crazy rain and halfway to Ranau town, we finally reached the sinalau bakas stall in Kg. Kelawat around  2.40pm!  It was still a Niagara! I so wanted to snap a picture of that stall but it was impossible to get out from the car. My brother-in-law did a Usain and he was dripping wet by the time he reached the stalls.  Besides sinalau bakas, stalls also selling tuhau, bosou bakas,  pinongian bakas (sorry, I don't know how to translate those in English! Let's just say, those are KadazanDusun traditional food condiments). The best part? You can buy the meat in varieties: smoked, raw, grilled (yummy, when you eat with steamed rice, chillies and soy sauce. The slightly charred skin is manna from heaven!!)

I saw several kampong folks gathered in a makeshift table, eating and drinking montoku and from the look of it, they all were slightly worse for the wear. Eating and drinking while it's raining outside must be oh-swell-mag! We really wanted to sit and eat right there at the stall but since the table was full, we decided to tapau and drove all the way back to Tg. Lipat, KK and had a mini picnic instead. Sinalau bakas with chillies and steamed rice: what a blessed life! Some tips for those who are interested to head out to Kg. Kelawat for sinalau bakas: crude stalls are built by the roadside. The first clutter of stalls you'd see on your right (keep in mind that by the time you've reached them, you'd be halfway to Ranau town) just drive straight without stopping because the best one is further up. Upon reaching it (also on your right side), look for the last stall with a crude and grey bricks wall and eureka! That's our guy.  Meats are sold in kilos.  If i'm not mistaken, raw meat is RM12/kilo, grilled is RM13/kilo & smoked is RM16/kilo.

The things we endured just to get to sinalau bakas, we must be crazy!