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Getting yourself up-close-and-personal with the cultural icon of Sabah can be a lifetime experience. With a month-long celebration to soak up the festive mood, May is certainly a wonderful time to experience it yourself the unique cultural heritage of Pesta Kaamatan, which is packed with plenty of colourful cultural events and of course, exciting dishes to feast on!

A celebration with a feast

Knowing that food is the superstar of any harvest festival, so, expect a celebration with a feast! Kaamatan is the best time to go on a food hunt of the traditional Kadazan-Dusun dishes, especially those only available once a year.

Bosou, Linopot and Hinava are among the popular, traditional treats to get you into the festive mood.

Bosou - the pickled food of Sabah

For something with an exotic punch, Bosou tops the list. Also known as nonsom or tonsom, the popular traditional Kadazan-Dusun dish features a concoction of preserved freshwater fish, cooked rice, buah keluak, pangi, bungor and salt.

The mixture is usually marinated for two weeks and by the time it is done, expect a tangy and salty sensation!

Bosou can be eaten raw, served with white rice or even fried noodles. It is also used as a cooking ingredient to pair with other meats and vegetables. To enhance its aroma, you may add diced garlic, pepper, olive oil, seasonings and marinating sauces of your choice. Lee Kum Kee’s Selected Light Soy Sauce is an excellent choice to enhance the flavours of your cooking. For example, you may stir-fry mixed vegetables with Lee Kum Kee’s Hoisin Sauce to pair with Bosou. The sauce helps enhance the dish with deeper flavours.

Linopot – the leaf-wrapped rice of Sabah

Linopot, affectionately known as “rice in a leaf,” is a traditional dish deeply rooted in the indigenous communities of Sabah, particularly the Kadazandusun and Murut tribes.

Given that rice holds a very special place in the hearts of native Sabahans, Linopot embodies a rich tapestry of history, culture, traditions and flavours - of how it connects with their roots and nature-inspired ingenuity.

Call it the art of preparing and preserving food, Linopot is a seasoned dish combining rice (eg. hill rice), yam, pumpkin, cassava, sweet potato, salt, local herbs like daun kadok or ginger, which can enriched with fish or prawn, crab or other ingredients, including flavourings of your choice.

Lee Kum Kee’s Selected Dark Soy Sauce can be a great choice to add some flavour and color    

and make the dish stand out. You may add some of it to your Linopot preparation for seasoning before cooking.

To ensure that the flavours meld together during the cooking process, Linopot is wrapped in the fresh leaf of either doringin, kobu, tarap, tintap, longkobung, toropoi, wonihan or banana.

Hinava – the fish salad of Sabah

Hinava is another well-known traditional dish of the Kadazan-Dusun people. It is typically made from raw fish (eg. mackerel or swordfish) and mixed with lime juice, bitter gourd, bird's eye chili, sliced shallots and grated ginger.

For a difference, you may replace fish with prawn or squid. You may also get creative by adding grated dried seed of the wild mango for a zestful taste. The combination of ingredients goes through a careful marinating process of delicate balance to bring out a sensation of richer flavours. Lee Kum Kees’s Seasoned Soy Sauce For Seafood helps elevate the flavours and make the dish whole. Just pour a generous sum onto the dish during stir-frying or steaming, easy and very convenient.

Hinava is a special dish on important occasions including Kaamatan and wedding. It delights you with a refreshing and tangy flavour, which is appetising and invigorating at the same time.

Celebrate with the flavours of Lee Kum Kee

So, from Bosou to Linopot and Hinava, the magic that lies in their preparations is seasoning and marinating. Regardless of what you are preparing, by marrying different ingredients together, it creates a balanced and savoury dish with deep flavours to thrill our taste buds. 

Celebrate this Kaamatan festival, with the flavours of Lee Kum Kee by using Panda Brand Oyster Sauce, Selected Light Soy Sauce, Selected Dark Soy Sauce, Seasoned Soy Sauce For Seafood, Oriental BBQ Sauce and Hoisin Sauce. These sauces are suitable for marinating, seasoning, stir-frying and dipping, it is easy and convenient to use to enhance the natural flavours of your dishes!

Celebrate and win great prizes

In conjunction with Pesta Kaamatan, Lee Kum Kee is running a contest, named Celebrate With The Flavours Of Lee Kum Kee, offering RM77,000 worth of great prizes, including First Prize (RM5,200 cash x8), Second Prize (Samsung Galaxy S24 worth RM4,099 each x5), and Third Prize (Dyson Vacuum Cleaner worth RM3,099 each x5).

Just purchase any Lee Kum Kee products worth RM10 and above in a single-receipt transaction, write your full name and MyKad number on the original receipt, scan the given QR code or submit a clear photo of the completed receipt to 014-3758106.

Contest closing is 30th June 2024.

Let’s celebrate together!

With Pesta Kaamatan gaining momentum, for those who love to cook or eat, either way, Lee Kum Kee is always there to create delicious moments on any occasion!

Check out Lee Kum Kee’s Instagram page for more information and get inspired this Kaamatan!

https://www.instagram.com/lkkmalaysia/