Published on: Thursday, December 03, 2009 |
She chose the Sinsuran evening market or "The Sunset Market", as she calls it, because she loves the atmosphere as well as the hustle and bustle of the place, especially when the sun sets, turning the bright sky into an orange purple colour.
The sounds and smells of the market also brought back childhood memories for Koh whose late mother used to take her marketing.
Conducted at the Portview Seafood Village, the session involved chefs from Shangri-La's Rasa Ria Resort and guests Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Peter Pang, Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun and Sabah Gerakan Chief, Datuk Gordon Leong.
It was an enjoyable evening as Shangri-La's Rasa Ria Resort's chefs Glen Roberts, Carole Lui and Andreas Von Lonski cooked up a storm while Koh clicked away with her camera.
Their dishes were made up of fresh seafood and vegetables bought from the evening market which included grilled "julung-julung" fish (half beak) and tepanyaki seafood.
The session was made even more memorable when the three guests took over the makeshift kitchen and cooked dishes that they loved. Leong whipped up the all-time local favourite of "sayur manis with egg", while Pang cooked and served "oyster mushroom fried with garlic and butter".
Masidi, who arrived with ingredients in hand, cooked "sayur kampung campur-campur", a favourite of people in his hometown. All the food was washed down with exotic mixtures of local drinks prepared by Shiva Mundiva, also from Shangri-La's Rasa Ria Resort.
Meanwhile, Leong, who had worked with Koh on her first book, "A Taste of Borneo Paradise", said he was glad that the latter has embarked on Borneo's Hidden Treasures.
"Borneo's Hidden Treasures promises to be even more exciting, exploring the many hidden and diverse recipes of Sabah, at the same time touching on the various colourful cultures of the peoples of the State, not to mention the many varieties of Sabah's very own signature ingredients and vegetables.
"I am hopeful and confident that Borneo's Hidden Treasures would, in a way, introduce Sabah to the rest of the world, the State's diversified cultures and food thereby attracting more tourists," he said.
Koh was happy that the session went well and expressed her utmost gratitude to Masidi, Pang and Leong.
"My gratitude also goes to Assistant Finance Minister Donald Mojuntin for his continued support and trust, Datuk Iliyas Ibrahim and the staff at City Hall, the management of Waterfront, Portview Seafood Village and of course, Shangri-la's Rasa Ria Resort for making this kick-off a success."
